Building Back Better: gender and post-conflict health systems
Hygiene In Emergencies
1. Menstrual Hygiene Needs: The Overlooked Necessity for Women and Girls Displaced by Conflict and Natural Disaster Maggie Shergill MPH, LSW Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health
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4. Gender roles / Status of women Social taboos/practices Lack of political commitment to women’s health needs Lack of mobility Lack of privacy Inadequate facilities for women Poverty Cannot afford materials Low education level Lack of knowledge of menstruation and basic reproductive system Unknown cultural practices and women’s needs in non-emergency settings Disaster or Armed Conflict WOMEN & GIRLS -No materials -Few facilities -Social constraints/low status -Not consulted in relief efforts Sanitation Sector Insensitive design for women Lack of gender research Lacking practical solutions to specifically meet hygiene needs Reproductive Health Excludes menstruation in RH services Relief protocols and manuals No strategic outline to address menstrual hygiene needs No standards or requirements to to meet need or evaluate services Lack of data / research Hygiene Promotion Basics of menstrual hygiene Focused on women/girls only Relief staff can be insensitive in approach WOMEN & GIRLS -Manage menstruation with limited resources -Rashes, infections -Unknown magnitude/ severity of morbidities and related impact Coordination? Understanding Determinants
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10. Thank you! Any Questions? Bharadwaj, S., Patkar, A. (2004). Menstrual Hygiene and Management in Developing Countries: Taking Stock. http://www.mum.org/menhydev. htm Harvey, P., Bagri, S., Reed, B. (2002). Emergency Sanitation: Assessment and Programme Design . Water, Engineering and Development Centre. Loughborough University, UK. Snowden, R., Christian B. (1983). Patterns and Perceptions of Menstruation . WHO. New York, St. Martin’s Press. Sphere Project: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (1997). http://www.sphereproject.org/handbook/html/4_ch2.htm WHO. Water, Sanitation and Health, Environmental Health in Emergencies and Disasters. http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/emergencies/sanitation/en/ WHO (2002). Gender and Health in Disasters. http://www.who.int/gender/other_health/en/genderdisasters.pdf