PROBLEM ASSESSMENT: Only 50% of health facilities are considered functional in Yemen, including emergency obstetrics and neonatal care. In addition, the suspension of salaries for health personnel and complex challenges in importing medicine and supplies, including contraception, place additional barriers on women and girls of reproductive age, hindering their access to safe and affordable reproductive and maternal health services and thereby impacting their health status, as well as the health conditions of new born children.
Despite serious adverse health impacts, gender-based violence remains underreported due to stigmatization, as well as conservative social and cultural norms and discriminatory attitudes towards survivors. The absence of a marriage certificate poses a challenge for gender-based violence survivors who become pregnant, when seeking medical care to deliver in hospitals. Lack of confidential and dignified access to public health services by gender-based violence survivors, including through reproductive health services, increases the risk of long-term health consequences.
Limited awareness among communities on the importance of safe maternal practices and the decline in the quality of public services have resulted in an increased number of deliveries at home often with sub-standard health and safety standards.
In Sana’a and Basateen, stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS is common, compounded by a lack of confidentiality in health facilities; lack of awareness by health care providers; procedures leading to mandatory HIV testing as part of the registration of refugee and/or asylum-seekers. UNHCR continues to advocate against such practices to ensure patient consent, confidentiality and privacy.
COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE: In 2021, UNHCR will continue to ensure access of refugee women to comprehensive reproductive health care. Health care providers will receive training on reproductive health. Reproductive health sensitization programs will be directed to youth.
In collaboration with the National AIDS Programme, UNHCR will continue supporting HIV/AIDS universal precaution and prevention activities and ensure access for refugees to antiretroviral curative and prophylactic treatment free of charge.
If resources allow, UNHCR will target 1,300 refugees and asylum-seekers and host community members with voluntary counselling and testing, and will provide counselling regarding the prevention of mother-to-child transmission services to 1,850 pregnant women in Basateen, Kharaz and Sana’a. Additionally, 5,500 youth will be sensitized on HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence. Cases of gender-based violence who express their informed consent will receive medical care, including through the clinical management of rape procedure.
PRIORITIZED RESPONSE: UNHCR will continue to ensure access for refugee women and adolescent girls to reproductive health and support to access reproductive health services. Through its health partners, UNHCR will aim to reach 100% of child births attended by skilled medical staff in Sana’a, as well as 85% in the south of Yemen. Some 900 refugees will receive voluntary counselling and testing services, and 830 mothers will receive services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Some 100 refugees living with HIV will receive antiretroviral therapy, and 100% of gender-based violence survivors identified and expressing their informed consent will receive timely and proper medical care including, post-exposure prophylaxis.