UN Population Fund (UNFPA) on Monday warned that among the nearly one million people currently displaced throughout North and Western Iraq, some 250,000 women and girls, including nearly 60,000 pregnant women, are in urgent need of care.
"As the conflict escalates and security worsens, UNFPA is concerned that the vulnerability of women and girls to gender-based violence and exploitation will increase. According to estimates, 20,000 women and girls could face an increased risk of sexual violence," the Agency's Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin said in a statement.
"We must not wait for cases to be counted comprehensively and documented in detail before we act," he stressed. "We must act immediately to ensure that women and girls are protected from sexual violence." The statement said Irbil Materity Hospital, for instance, handles since the beginning of the crisis 20 Cesarean deliveries per day, compared to eight to 10 cases prior to the crisis, and more than 50 normal deliveries. Because of serious shortages in supplies, beds and staff, it added, mothers and babies are being discharged from the hospital after just three hours from deliveries.
It said that in response to the crisis, UNFPA has provided the Hospital with reproductive health and delivery kits containing medical supplies to cater for emergency obstetric care for 1,200 deliveries, adding, however, that without additional resources, these kits will only meet needs for a few weeks.
It noted that while an estimated 225 women will give birth every day, some 1,000 pregnant women encounter life-threatening complications every month.
"Given the potential enormity of this crisis, we would require financial assistance in order to be able to sustain and scale up our humanitarian activities and those of our partners," Osotimehin urged.
The Agency estimates that it needs USD 6.5 million to provide for the needs of over 200,000 women and girls affected by the crisis by offering reproductive health care services, psycho-social support and activities to raise awareness about gender-based violence.
In a related matter, asked to comment on the 'Islamic State' declaration yesterday of a caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq, two UN member states, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told the daily press briefing on Monday that the UN was "monitoring events closely, including the impact on civilian populations. The hope remains that the meetings in Iraq on Tuesday will create a positive atmosphere and an Iraqi Government in which all people feel that they are represented." He added that the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) is working to provide aid to people who have fled the fighting to places such as the Kurdish areas