Ethiopian Informer![[PHOTO shows women in Ethiopia’s Tigray region receiving UNFPA dignity kits. PHOTO CREDIT: UNPFA Ethiopia.]](https://ethiopiainformer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Displaced-women-recieve-dignity-kits-with-sanitary-and-hygiene-items-in-Mekele-Tigray.Photo-credit_-UNFPA-Ethiopia.jpg)
ADDIS ABABA (EI): Ethiopia’s recent humanitarian crisis, spurred by recurrent conflicts and multiple natural disasters, has led to significant sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV) needs across the country, a newly published United Nations report has disclosed.
The Ethiopia Preparedness and Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 report, which was published by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) on Tuesday, said since 2021, humanitarian needs have continued to increase in Ethiopia, spurred by conflict, inter-ethnic violence, drought, and flooding, each presenting distinct challenges to women and girls shaped by the country’s diverse geo-climatic and socioeconomic conditions.
It said the resultant breakdown of systems has led to limited availability of quality sexual and reproductive health and specialized lifesaving gender-based violence services, such as clinical management of rape, psychosocial support, GBV case management, legal aid, and referral for mental health and other specialized services.
The report said the situation has contributed to increasing rates of preventable sexual and reproductive health-related mortality and morbidity.
The Ethiopia Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2024 outlined the efforts to address the multiple challenges faced by the country, including climate change impacts, conflicts, and security issues.
The HRP-2024 includes a comprehensive focus on sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, and sexual exploitation and abuse needs. The plan also recognized the significant sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence needs arising from multiple shocks, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), returning IDPs, returning migrants, and host communities.
According to the Humanitarian Needs Overview for Ethiopia, the cumulative impact of conflict, violence, and various climate change shocks has left 21.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024 across the country. Countrywide, the number of people in need of GBV response increased to 7.2 million, up from 6.7 million in 2023, and 5.8 million in 2022, the Humanitarian Needs Overview.
Across the country, a staggering number of 435 districts are classified by the Humanitarian Needs Overview as having severe needs for GBV prevention, demonstrating the urgent need to scale up access to GBV response services in conflict-affected regions.
Out of the 21.4 million crisis-affected people in 2024, the Humanitarian Response Plan targeted more than 15.5 million people with life-saving integrated assistance, including food, nutrition, health, sexual and reproductive health, and protection services, including to survivors of gender-based violence.
The UN and its humanitarian partners have appealed more funding form the donor community as the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan for Ethiopia requires 3.24 billion USD to fulfill its goals.
[PHOTO shows women in Ethiopia’s Tigray region receiving UNFPA dignity kits. PHOTO CREDIT: UNPFA Ethiopia]
