UNFPA IN THE NEWS – JANUARY 15-21, 2005

COVERAGE ON AID EFFORTS FOR 26 DECEMBER TSUNAMI

Indonesia: Associated Press reported January 21 that after surviving the tsunami, many women are facing the danger of giving birth alone – a grim legacy of the loss of hundreds of midwives among the disaster's dead. Some women have been forced to deliver their newborns in dark tents without even a bar of soap, using shards of bamboo to cut the umbilical cords. Others have had to walk through miles of jungle for prenatal help. The story mentioned that Henia Dakkak, a public health specialist for UNFPA, said the agency plans to distribute nearly 20 tons of hygiene and prenatal care products – including razor blades, soap and sanitary napkins. Read: Associated Press

Agence France-Presse reported January 21 that UNFPA officials expressed fears of a rise in violence, particularly against women, in Indonesian camps sheltering tsunami victims and said it was working to protect vulnerable groups. Violence in camps housing those displaced by the December 26 tsunamis "is going to come very soon," said Bernard Coquelin, the Indonesian representative of UNFPA. "We have already seen domestic violence against displaced people in Indonesia," he told AFP, citing several towns including Ternate and Ambon in the Maluku islands, Poso on the island of Sulawesi and Kupang on the island of Timor. UNFPA is working to put mechanisms in place in tsunami survivor camps in worst-hit Aceh province that would see vulnerable groups such as women and children protected, Coquelin said.

Jakarta Post reported January 15 that UNFPA dispatched trucks carrying 14 tons of childbirth equipment and reproductive health supplies to Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province. “The equipment is expected to provide pregnant women in Aceh access with adequate treatment and to prevent any complications that could endanger lives,” UNFPA representative in Indonesia, Bernard Coquelin, said.

UN News Centre reported January 20 that even as relief distribution improves in Indonesia, a particularly heavy rainy season is worsening conditions in temporary settlements and hampering the delivery of supplies, especially by road, the United Nations reported. Since the tsunami struck in Indonesia on 26 December, the UN World Food Programme has delivered over 4,000 tons of food to 330,000 people in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital. It has also provided eight tons of medical supplies while UNAIDS has distributed information on the disease in emergency settings and UNFPA has delivered reproductive health kits. Read: UN News Centre

Sri Lanka: Xinhua General News Service reported January 19 that around 15,000 pregnant women in Sri Lanka have been affected by the tsunami disaster and are in need of special care and attention. UNFPA representative in Sri Lanka Lubna Baqi said they are working with the Health Ministry and other organizations to meet the emergency reproductive health needs. "The maternity hospitals and wards in the affected areas have also been damaged by the disaster. Therefore these women require special attention," Baqi said. Read: Xinhua General News Service

Sri Lanka and United States: Daily News (Sri Lanka) reported January 19 that the U.S. Congress will make every effort to help Sri Lankans rebuild their lives shattered by the tsunami disaster, the visiting members of the US Congress assured. Addressing the media after a visit to the tsunami ravaged south, the delegation emphasized that the country will need long-term assistance from many sources to rebuild the lives and livelihood of its people. "As the attention of the international media on the devastation caused by the tsunami begins to ebb we want to make sure that the affected countries continue to receive assistance from the world. We will articulate that continuing need in the Congress and also in our constituencies," head of the delegation Representative Joe Crowley said. The Congressional delegation comprising Representatives Joe Crowley, Linda Sanchez, Steve Israel, Al Green and Sheila Jackson traveled to the disaster-hit areas in the South and inspected the work carried out by UNFPA for the welfare of women and children. Read: Daily News

AFGHANISTAN: Government Prepares Population Estimates Needed To Create Parliament

Radio Free Europe reported January 19 that the head of Afghanistan's Central Statistics Office said the most comprehensive population estimate in the country since 1979 is nearing completion. The United Nations Population Fund is assisting Kabul's attempts to conduct a complete census. "What has nearly been completed is called a 'Household Listing' exercise," said Yanming Lin of UNFPA's Asia divison. "So, of course, it is not a door-to-door exercise. It is different from a census. A household listing is done by some [statistical] sampling rather than a full census. The full census, as far as we know, has not started yet." Read: Radio Free Europe

BHUTAN: More Steps on HIV/AIDS Prevention Needed

Keunsel (Bhutan) reported January 21 that although the overall progress of UNFPA programs in Bhutan was satisfactory, the increasing number of HIV/AIDS cases was a concern said UNFPA country director for Bhutan, Hendrik van der Pol, who was on a five day visit from January 17 to 21. “The number may be small at the moment, but the society, along with the government, should take measures to prevent big scale infections,” said Mr. van der Pol. Read: Keunsel

CHINA: 1.3 Billionth Person Brings Attention to Family Planning Policy

China Daily reported January 18 that in recent decades, a better global understanding of birth control techniques has contributed to women's development and gender equality in China. The story mentioned that research by UNFPA published in 2003 indicates that the use of contraception in China is almost universal – at 83 percent. China, in fact, leads the world in the use of contraception. However, that does not reflect the whole picture. China's family planning policy is aimed mainly at married women, and it emphasizes long-term or permanent methods of contraception. Read: China Daily

COLOMBIA: Domestic Violence Difficult to Measure

Cambio (Colombia) January 17 ran a story on addressing domestic violence. "It is difficult to measure the incidence of this crime, because the highest percentage of victims is young girls who find it hard to talk about this," explains Mona Kaidbey of UNFPA. "Whatever strategy the government adopts should take into account the country's own characteristics, particularly in areas of conflict."

JAMAICA: Complications from Abortions Drain Medical Resources

The Gleaner (Jamaica) reported January 17 that meager resources in public hospitals are being hit hard by medical complications linked to cases of 'botched' abortions. The story mentioned that a UNFPA document on reproductive rights and family planning indicates that "it is…widely recognized now that management of complications of unsafe abortion constitutes a serious drain on scarce medical care resources in many countries."

KENYA: Continuing the Fight to Stop the Genital Cutting of Maasai Girls

East African Standard (Kenya) reported January 22 that emboldened anti-circumcision campaigners have descended on Maasai villages to educate people about the dangers of female circumcision. Non-governmental organizations on the ground like Tasaru Ntomonok Initiative (TNI) and the World Vision report increasing awareness levels, especially among women and girls. The story mentioned that from last December 13 to 17, TNI and UNFPA took their awareness campaign to Narok’s Suswa Location, considered a hot spot for female genital cutting. Some parents have in the past allowed their daughters to go through the alternative rite, only to circumcise them when they return home. But proponents like Dr. Stephen Wanyee, UNFPA’s assistant country director, believe their efforts are not in vain. He said: "Progress can be slow as the community feels threatened and resists change. But, we are not going to give up. Even if it is only two girls that pass through the alternative rite, that is still a success – they are pioneers in this process of eliminating female circumcision." Read: East African Standard

UNITED STATES: Congress Members Urge Bush to Restore Funding

Associated Press reported January 21 that New York lawmakers who recently visited the tsunami-scarred regions of Southeast Asia aim to reopen a congressional fight when an aid bill is offered next month. At issue are an estimated 150,000 pregnant women, living in areas affected by the tsunamis, who desperately need access to health care, according to Democratic Reps. Steve Israel and Joseph Crowley, who just returned from the region. The agency that could do the most good for expectant mothers, according to the lawmakers, is the United Nations Population Fund. "Within this Congress, there are certainly people who are opposed to UNFPA under any circumstances," said Crowley. "But what they can provide here are very basic but very lifesaving instruments and also ensure as safe births as possible." The U.S. State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration expects no change in policy toward UNPFA. "We are not able to fund UNFPA right now. The restrictions apply across the board until there's a change in the Chinese policies that UNPFA participates in," said Robert Hilton, a spokesman for the bureau. Read: Associated Press

Associated Press reported January 18 that members of the U.S. Congress called on the Bush administration to resume funding UNFPA suspended over its connection to China and a suspected policy of forced abortions. "We hope that at some point our government will recognize the good work of the UNFPA on behalf of the most vulnerable people," said Joe Crowley, a Democratic from New York.

Whittier Daily News (U.S.) reported January 22 that Rep. Linda Sanchez, (CA), just back from tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka, who went as part of a five-member congressional delegation, said, "The damage was far beyond what I could imagine by watching a news program." "It was like a bomb had gone off. It was something out of a science fiction movie." The delegation visited Colombo, Sri Lanka, receiving a briefing from the United Nations Population Fund. They also visited the former location of a maternity hospital, which had been destroyed by the tsunami, and a regional hospital in Galle, Sri Lanka. Read: Whittier Daily News

UNITED STATES: 34 Million Friends of UNFPA

In a January 17 letter by Jane Roberts, co-founder of 34 Million Friends of UNFPA, that ran in Newsday (U.S.), she wrote: “Regarding ‘U.S. shift on rape victims’ [News, Jan. 11]: The Bush administration will find any excuse to limit women's access to knowledge about their choices both here and abroad. Here, the games being played with the morning-after or Plan B option are examples. Abroad, it is the gag rule, and withdrawing money from family-planning organizations for contraceptive services. These shortsighted, mean-spirited policies lead to more unintended pregnancies, hence more legal abortions here and more illegal and unsafe abortions abroad.” Read: Women’s Enews

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