Insecurity in many parts of northwestern Pakistan, where the military have been fighting militants for several months, is making women health workers think twice about trying to access internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“I travelled with colleagues to areas in NWFP [North West Frontier Province] affected by the 2005 earthquake when I was just a medical student, but now my parents say it is too dangerous to try and work among the IDPs,” said Rafeeya Jabeen, 24, a Peshawar-based aid worker.
She said even though some NGOs had approached her and other women doctors, security concerns “mean our families are simply not willing to let us go”.
Many women IDPs are suffering as a result.
“My wife has had a stomach pain for days, and my 16-year-old daughter has breathing problems with a bad cough, but there is no female doctor here who they can see,” said Aftab Jahanzeb, 50, in the town of Hangu, North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Jahanzeb and his family are among some 500 families, about 5,000 individuals, who have fled Orakzai Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) adjacent to the Afghan border for Hangu District.
Male doctors working with NGOs and also the Pakistan military are available, but female IDPs say they cannot use them.
Maryum Bibi, aged 40, in a village near Dera Ismail Khan (NWFP) where she is staying with her uncle, said: “We have seen these teams, but my husband would never allow me or any of our daughters to be treated by a man… I would prefer to die than to approach a male who is not a family member to help me.”
Continuing displacement
People from the Bajaur and Khyber agencies in FATA have been moving into camps in Nowshera or the Lower Dir districts of NWFP. While the rate of displacement from South Waziristan has slowed over the past week, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 428,000 IDPs have been registered in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts of NWFP which border on South Waziristan.
Maryum Bibi said: “It is hard for women to get help… My husband is not here, my daughter has been suffering prolonged menstrual bleeding that has continued for nearly two weeks - and it is hard for me to even talk about such a private issue with others.”
Like many other men, Maryum Bibi’s husband has returned to their village in South Waziristan to protect their home and cattle.
Meanwhile, aid agency officials acknowledge the access problems.
“We know there are health needs and we want to help but we are not able to reach these people,” Ronnie Palomar, deputy head of mission for the Paris-based Médecins Sans Frontières, told IRIN.
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“I travelled with colleagues to areas in NWFP [North West Frontier Province] affected by the 2005 earthquake when I was just a medical student, but now my parents say it is too dangerous to try and work among the IDPs,” said Rafeeya Jabeen, 24, a Peshawar-based aid worker.
She said even though some NGOs had approached her and other women doctors, security concerns “mean our families are simply not willing to let us go”.
Many women IDPs are suffering as a result.
“My wife has had a stomach pain for days, and my 16-year-old daughter has breathing problems with a bad cough, but there is no female doctor here who they can see,” said Aftab Jahanzeb, 50, in the town of Hangu, North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Jahanzeb and his family are among some 500 families, about 5,000 individuals, who have fled Orakzai Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) adjacent to the Afghan border for Hangu District.
Male doctors working with NGOs and also the Pakistan military are available, but female IDPs say they cannot use them.
Maryum Bibi, aged 40, in a village near Dera Ismail Khan (NWFP) where she is staying with her uncle, said: “We have seen these teams, but my husband would never allow me or any of our daughters to be treated by a man… I would prefer to die than to approach a male who is not a family member to help me.”
Continuing displacement
People from the Bajaur and Khyber agencies in FATA have been moving into camps in Nowshera or the Lower Dir districts of NWFP. While the rate of displacement from South Waziristan has slowed over the past week, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 428,000 IDPs have been registered in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts of NWFP which border on South Waziristan.
Maryum Bibi said: “It is hard for women to get help… My husband is not here, my daughter has been suffering prolonged menstrual bleeding that has continued for nearly two weeks - and it is hard for me to even talk about such a private issue with others.”
Like many other men, Maryum Bibi’s husband has returned to their village in South Waziristan to protect their home and cattle.
Meanwhile, aid agency officials acknowledge the access problems.
“We know there are health needs and we want to help but we are not able to reach these people,” Ronnie Palomar, deputy head of mission for the Paris-based Médecins Sans Frontières, told IRIN.
kh/at/cb
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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