BANDARBAN DISTRICT, Bangladesh – “When the floodwater entered our home, we were stranded for two days. We couldn't hold on any longer, so we came to this shelter by boat,” explained Laila Begum, a 23-year-old pregnant mother of two from Shador, in Bangladesh’s Bandarban Division. “We have been living here for almost a week now.”
For those forced to flee the rising flood emergency across southeast Bangladesh, a local school had quickly been converted into a refuge. “We couldn't bring anything with us. We left with only the clothes we were wearing,” Laila told UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, which is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency.
“Even my children have been spending their days in wet clothes.”
Weeks of heavy rainfall have caused floods and landslides and triggered a severe monsoon emergency across the Chattogram, Mymensingh and Sylhet Divisions. More than 1.1 million people have been affected so far and almost 40,000 have been displaced from their homes.
I’m pregnant – it’s extremely difficult to live in this condition in a shelter– Laila Begum
Significant damage has been reported to water systems and public infrastructure, including key roads and bridges, cutting off access to essential reproductive and maternal healthcare for many communities.
Alongside the uncertainty of shelter life, Laila’s health has made the situation even more difficult.
“I’m pregnant. I have severe pain in my abdomen, hips and lower back,” she said. “I also have a tumor. Although basic check-ups are available here, I need treatment from a specialist – it’s extremely difficult to live in this condition in a shelter.”
The shelter doesn’t provide breakfast, and lunch and dinner usually consist of khichuri, a dish of rice and lentils. While this helps families survive, it is not sufficient to meet the nutritional needs of almost 14,000 pregnant women affected by the crisis.
The women and girls at greatest risk
The hardest-hit districts are Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, which is also home to the world’s biggest and most densely populated refugee settlement. In the camps of Cox’s Bazar, heavy rain has saturated fragile hillsides, with flash floods and landslides damaging more than 5,000 shelters.
Sometimes we go hungry ourselves, but we still feed our children and raise them well – Laila Begum
Maintaining access to essential services, including healthcare and education, can be almost impossible for people caught in a humanitarian crisis.
Laila's eldest daughter is seven years old, while her youngest is just one and a half. Before the floods, Laila looked after the household while her husband worked as a day labourer and mason. Despite severe financial hardship, they enrolled their eldest in a madrasa, because Laila dreams of giving her children an education, and thereby, a better future.
“We are going through very difficult times,” she said. “Sometimes we go hungry ourselves, but we still feed our children and raise them well.”
But now her daughter is missing school because of the floods. The family owns no land, leaving them unable to farm and severing their only source of income.
Isolated but overcrowded conditions
The flooding has also heightened the risk of gender-based violence for women and girls, including sexual exploitation, coercion and abuse. Continued livelihood disruptions are also reported to be exacerbating household stress, leading to more cases of intimate partner violence.
Emergency shelters tend to be located far from hillside communities and lack adequate privacy. Laila explained how the shared bathrooms – which are often unsanitary and without running water – don’t have separate toilets for women and men, and the lighting is very poor.
“As soon as night falls, my fear grows because there is no electricity,” she said. “Everything becomes dark. There are many people here, it is an open space, and there are unfamiliar men around.”
“I constantly worry about my children, and I fear for my own safety too.”
A comprehensive response
UNFPA supports 14 health facilities across the Bandarban and Kagrachari districts by deploying midwives, providing referrals for specialist services and distributing essential hygiene, sanitary and baby supplies. At a UNFPA-supported one-stop crisis centre, trained social workers are providing psychosocial first aid for gender-based violence survivors, despite the difficult operating conditions.
I constantly worry about my children, and I fear for my own safety too – Laila Begum
For Laila, UNFPA is providing maternity care and referrals for the surgery she needs for her tumor. She is relieved she no longer has to worry about accessing these essential health services, and will also receive a baby kit to help prepare for the safe arrival and care of her newborn.
“We are fortunate to have a roof over our heads. But as a pregnant woman, I need proper rest,” she told UNFPA. “A comfortable bed would make a big difference. If there were enough food, I would feel more at ease. And if there was electricity at night, I would not be so afraid for my children in the darkness.”
Through funding from the Governments of Australia and Japan, UNFPA and partners are mobilizing menstrual hygiene and sanitary supplies and baby kits, deploying midwives and supporting mobile units to maintain access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls in response to the emergency.
