Please note: This archive was last updated in 2005.
RHO archives : Topics : Refugee Reproductive Health
Links
Updated October 13, 2004
Listed below are useful web resources on refugee reproductive health. The entries are organized under the following categories:
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Organizations
American Refugee Committee International
(ARC)
www.archq.org
This nonprofit, humanitarian assistance organization works to support the
survival, health, and well-being of refugees and displaced persons. Its
programs provide assistance in primary health care delivery (including reproductive
health services), improved water and sanitation, shelter reconstruction,
micro-credit schemes, environmental services, and psychosocial services.
Posted online are descriptions of ARC programs around the world. ARC also
is a member of the Reproductive Health for Refugees (RHR)
Consortium.
U.S.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/logistics/global_rrh.htm
The CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) began a formal refugee
program in 1998 and has recently increased its focus on refugee reproductive
health. It has also broadened its definition of refugees and internally
displaced persons (IDPs); it now works with those not only in post-emergency
camps but also those in the emergency phase, those returning to their countries
of origin, and those who have integrated into the local host community.
The CDC designs and implements epidemiologic investigations to evaluate
reproductive health status in refugee and IDP settings and provides information
for services. It also strives to translate and communicate study findings
and best practices to the refugee, NGO, and donor communities.
Center for
Reproductive Rights
www.crlp.org/
The Center for Reproductive Rights, formerly known as the Center for Reproductive
Law and Policy (CRLP), is a nonprofit legal organization dedicated to ensuring
that all women—including refugees—have access to appropriate
and freely chosen reproductive health services. Their site reviews the international
legal and policy framework underlying refugee rights. Posted online in October
2001 is Refugees
and Their Reproductive Rights (www.reproductiverights.org/pub_bp_refugees.html).
Columbia
University's Heilbrunn Center for Population and Family Health
http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/sph/popfam/index.html
In the past five years, refugee service agencies and reproductive health
organizations have pooled their expertise to address the reproductive health
needs of forced migrants around the world. The Heilbrunn Center has worked
with these agencies, particularly the members of the Reproductive
Health for Refugees (RHR) Consortium, to conduct applied research, develop
and test field-friendly guidelines, and train staff.
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
www.theIRC.org
This nonprofit aid organization provides relief, protection, and resettlement
services for refugees and victims of oppression and violent conflict, and
is a founding member of the Reproductive Health for Refugees
(RHR) Consortium. IRC's health initiatives include a child survival
program in Rwanda, a sexual and gender-based violence program in Tanzania,
and adolescent peer educators in Kosovo. Posted online
are a series of detailed, highly informative field reports analyzing the
challenges and achievements of some of IRC's reproductive health programs.
Marie Stopes
International (MSI)
www.mariestopes.org.uk/ww/refugees.htm
A founding member of the Reproductive Health for Refugees
(RHR) Consortium, MSI is working to institutionalize reproductive health
care in refugee settings in nine countries around the world. In addition
to reviewing each of these programs, MSI's web site has a series of six
RHR Consortium fact
sheets available for downloading (www.mariestopes.org.uk/ww/publications.htm).
The fact sheets cover technical areas of reproductive health in refugee
settings, including safe motherhood, family planning, sexual and gender
violence, STIs, and emergency obstetric care.
Refugees International
www.refintl.org
This advocacy organization uses diplomacy and the power of the press to
mobilize governments and engage the United Nations to help refugees around
the world. It conducts on-the-ground emergency assessments to pave the
way for relief agencies and human rights organizations. Bulletins and
reports
on womens issues, including gender violence, can be found at www.refintl.org/content/publication/.
Reproductive Health
Response in Conflict Consortium (RHRC Consortium)
www.rhrc.org
The RHRC Consortium (formerly the Reproductive Health Consortium for Refugees,
or RHR Consortium) advocates for the inclusion of reproductive health care
in refugee health services; develops guidelines, training modules, and other
field tools to improve the quality of those services; offers technical and
financial support to increase the number of organizations offering reproductive
health services to refugees; and disseminates information on reproductive
health in refugee settings. This site reviews reproductive health problems
facing refugees, discusses potential solutions, and presents case studies
from around the world. Many key publications, including a global review
of refugee reproductive health and a series of field tools, are available
for downloading. Advocacy materials also are posted online, as is information
on applying to the Consortium's Small Grants Program. Contact information
and Internet links for each of the seven member organizations are listed.
These include the American Refugee Committee, CARE, Columbia University's
Heilbrunn Center for Population and Family Health, the International Rescue
Committee, JSI Research and Training Institute, Marie Stopes International,
and the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children.
UNFPA Relief
Efforts
www.unfpa.org/issues/briefs/emergencies.htm
During conflicts and natural disasters, UNFPA works to save the lives of
women and newborn babies by providing comprehensive reproductive health
care services and needed emergency reproductive health care supplies. This
site describes UNFPA's humanitarian response during many recent emergencies,
including the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor, and Kosovo. Also
posted here are reports on the challenges faced in providing reproductive
health in emergencies and a description of what support UNFPA provides in
crisis situations.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR)
www.unhcr.ch
UNHCR's mandate is (1) to ensure that states are aware of and act on their
obligations to protect refugees and (2) to assist refugees who cannot meet
their own basic needs.There is a wealth of information available at the
UNHCR web site, including statistics on the number and locations of refugees,
breaking news about refugees and crisis situations, country profiles, technical
reports, back issues of magazines, slideshow presentations, and magazines.Over
the past few years, UNHCR has developed special initiatives to meet the
needs of refugee
women (www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home?page=PROTECT&id=3b83a48d4).
The site, which is available in English, French, German, Japanese, and Korean,
also includes a section on adolescents
and children (www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home?page=PROTECT&id=3b8373992).
United Nations Relief and Works Agency
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
www.un.org/unrwa
Since 1950, UNRWA has provided humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees.
It is the main health care provider for the Palestine refugee population.
This website, which is available in English and Arabic, includes a description
of health services offered by UNRWA.
U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR)
www.refugees.org
This watchdog organization, founded in 1958, works for refugee protection
and assistance in all regions of the world. Each year, the USCR publishes
a World Refugee Survey,
available online at www.refugees.org/world/worldmain.htm, which reports
comprehensive refugee statistics and describes conditions for refugees and
internally displaced persons in 120 countries. Also available at the USCR
website are news about refugee hot-spots and access to a Refugee Resource
Network designed to help activists, academics, administrators and employees
of refugee-aid organizations share information.
Women's Commission for Refugee
Women and Children
www.womenscommission.org
This advocacy and expert resource organization monitors the care and protection
of refugee women, adolescents, and children; draws the attention of international
organizations, governments, and voluntary agencies to their concerns; and
provides technical assistance to refugee programs. One of the major projects
of the Women's Commission is promoting access to reproductive health care.
Posted online are a variety of reports and slideshows
on conditions facing refugee women around the world and policy studies on
adolescents and gender issues.
World Health Organization, Emergency
and Humanitarian Action (EHA)
www.who.int/disasters
EHA helps countries prepare for emergencies and mitigate their health consequences.
This website promotes best public health practices in humanitarian situations
by providing links to up-to-date technical guidance on what to do and what
not to do, how to prepare, and how to respond in case of emergencies. Guidance
on best practices covers mental health issues, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive
health issues including emergency contraception, STIs, and prenatal and
delivery care. The website also provides easy access to documents
related to specific countries or emergency situations. A special issue of
the newsletter "Health in Emergencies," which focused on reproductive
health, is available at www.who.int/disasters/repo/7099.pdf.
Conference Proceedings (forthcoming): RHRC Conference 2003: Reproductive
Health From Disaster to Development, Brussels, Belgium, October 7–8,
2003
This second international research conference was cohosted by the Reproductive
Health Response in Conflict (RHRC) Consortium (formerly the Reproductive
Health for Refugees Consortium), UNFPA, UNHCR, and their conference collaborating
partner, International Centre for Reproductive Health at Ghent University.
Currently available online are a book
of abstracts (www.rhrc.org/pdf/Book_of_Abstracts_20_Sept_F.pdf) and
many conference reports
(www.rhrc.org/2003/conference.html); full conference proceedings are forthcoming.
Conference Proceedings: Findings on Reproductive
Health of Refugees and Displaced Populations, Washington, DC , December
5–6, 2000
www.rhrc.org under "Resources"
Cohosted by the Reproductive Health for Refugees Consortium, Global Health
Council, and InterAction, this conference covered key elements of refugee
reproductive health (including pregnancy and delivery, sexual and gender-based
violence, family planning, HIV/STIs, and adolescent services) as well as
implementation challenges, the collection and use of data, and efforts to
improve service delivery systems in post-conflict settings. The online proceedings
include detailed abstracts for all of the presentations and posters. Together
they give a broad overview of both the research and program activities going
on in the field of refugee reproductive health.
Forced Migration Review
www.fmreview.org
Published three times a year in English, Spanish, and Arabic, this journal
provides a forum for debate on the most immediate issues facing refugees
and internally displaced people and those working with them. Articles analyze
policy issues, share experience, present recommendations, and set out guidelines
for best practice. A special
1995 issue on women and reproductive health (www.fmreview.org/rpn20.htm)
includes articles on the reproductive health needs of refugee women, gender
issues, legal issues, STIs/HIV services, the needs of adolescent refugees,
and constraints on delivering health services to refugees. The December
2000 issue focuses on gender issues, including rape and violence and
women's empowerment (www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR09/fmr9contents.pdf).
The journal is produced by the Refugee
Studies Centre, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford (www2.qeh.ox.ac.uk)
in collaboration with the Norwegian Refugee
Council (www.nrc.no).
Gender & Humanitarian
Assistance Resource Kit
www.reliefweb.int/library/GHARkit/
This resource kit is intended to help agencies implement the UN policy of
mainstreaming gender into humanitarian responses to emergencies. The kit
brings together a wealth of information in five areas: gender mainstreaming,
policies and standards, analytical documents, best practices, guidelines
and checklists, and tools for planning and training. Reproductive health
and the prevention of violence against women and girls are among the topics
covered.
Gender-Based
Violence Bibliography
www.rhrc.org/resources/gbv/bib/index.php
The GBV Initiative, a project of the RHR Consortium, has produced a web-based
bibliography to improve international and local capacity to address gender-based
violence (GBV) among refugee and internally displaced populations. Training
tools, manuals, and other literature listed here have been selected specifically
for their quality and relevance for work with refugees and internally displaced
persons who have survived GBV, though many resources may have wider applicability.
This resource will open in a separate browser window.
Global IDP Survey
www.idpproject.org/
Sponsored by the Norwegian Refugee Council, this project has created a global
database on internally displaced persons (IDPs) that can be accessed online.
Also available are training materials on IDPs, survey publications, and
articles published in the Forced Migration Review.
Links:
Special Issue on Gender Equity and Humanitarian Response
www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/issues/gender/links/index.htm#mar01
The March 2001 issue of Oxfams Links newsletter discusses the difficulty
of incorporating gender considerations into emergency response programs.
Several articles describe programs responding to armed conflict and natural
disasters, while others provide guidance on how to add a gender perspective
to humanitarian efforts.
The Refugee Experience:
Psychosocial Training Module
http://earlybird.qeh.ox.ac.uk/rfgexp
Based on a course offered at the Refugee Studies Centre at the University
of Oxford, this training module is designed for humanitarian workers and
refugee policy makers. It consists of about 30 hours of training materials
that can either be read by individual learners or used for group training
by facilitators; instructions for both are included. Materials include a
video lecture on psychosocial responses to forced migration; discussion
guides on the nature of conflict, gender, childrens psychosocial needs,
and non-western concepts of mental health; a series of responses and comments;
technical papers on psychological paradigms and psychosocial programming;
training manuals on community participation and communication and helping
skills; and a cross-cultural simulation game. The module is available in
print and on CD-ROM as well as online.
Reproductive Health Kits
UNFPA has developed 16 “Reproductive Health Kits” containing
basic commodities to allow comprehensive reproductive health services to
be offered for people in emergency situations such as temporary displacement
due to natural disaster or war. The kits are divided into three categories;
Block 1 consists of six subkits for the support of a population of 10,000
people for three months. Block 2 consists of five subkits with supplies
for 30,000 people for three months. The Block 3 kits are to be used at the
referral/surgical obstetric level and compose of two kits sufficient to
support 150,000 people for three months. The kits contain, among other items,
commodities for management of the complications of abortions, safe delivery,
sexually transmitted infections, suture and cervical and vaginal tears and
blood transfusion.
A detailed description of the contents of the Reproductive Health Kits is
available free of charge on CD-ROM in French and English. To request a CD-ROM,
please contact Thidar Myint at myint@unfpa.org.
Sexual and Gender-Based
Violence Bibliography
http://rhrc.org/resources/gbv/
This online information resource is designed to help staff address gender-based
violence among refugees and internally displaced people and in post-conflict
settings. It lists training tools, manuals, and other literature relevant
to these populations. Materials are organized into five broad areas (prevention,
protection, direct services, assessment, and sustainability), each of which
is subdivided into narrower topics for ease of use. The bibliography also
includes some background materials that address the broader context of refugee
issues as well as links to other organizations and websites where relevant
information can be found. The bibliography, which is a project of the Reproductive
Health for Refugees (RHR) Consortium, will be periodically revised so that
it remains current.
Sexual
Health Exchange
www.kit.nl/information_services/exchange_content/html/2000_2_contents.asp
In 2000, this newsletter devoted a special issue to the influence of conflict
and war on sexual and reproductive health. Included are policy and program
articles that discuss HIV/AIDS, postabortion care, and sexual violence among
refugees. Programs in Colombia, Central Africa, Mexico, Palestine, and Sudan
are featured.
United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees
(UNHCR): How To Guides
www.rhrc.org under "Resources"
Each publication in this series documents a single field experience that
illustrates an innovative approach to a particular area of reproductive
health. The guides are not designed to present a definitive solution to
a problem. Rather, their recommendations are designed to be adapted to the
particular needs and conditions of other refugee settings. The program descriptions
are lengthy and include special protocols, tools, and materials developed
by each project. The eight guides published to date include a project to
eradicate female genital mutilation among Somali refugees, reproductive
health education for adolescents in Guinea, safe motherhood services in
Tanzania, and programs to combat sexual and gender-based violence in Tanzania,
Guinea, and Liberia.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Expert Meetings
As part of the ICPD+5 review process, UNFPA assembled international
experts at a "Technical
Meeting on Reproductive Health Services in Crisis Situations" in
1998 (www.unfpa.org/icpd5/meetings/rennes_crisis/rennes-news.htm). Posted
online are the experts' conclusions on the state of reproductive health
services and their recommendations for future interventions and research.
A second expert meeting, organized by UNFPA in 2002, focused on "HIV/AIDS
in Conflict Situations" (www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=82&Language=1).
Participants identified factors that contribute to the spread of HIV during
armed conflict and recommended actions to slow the spread.
