Afrah Borji – Women in Development and Peace
A UN Sustainable Development Group report highlights the dire state of reproductive healthcare in Yemen, drastically worsened by ongoing armed conflict. Even before the conflict, the system was weak; now, it’s practically collapsed, leaving over 3.75 million women and girls of reproductive age at risk of death.
The UN report, “The Surge in Violence Against Women and Girls Amidst Continued Conflict in Yemen – 2023,” states that roughly 12.6 million women need life-saving reproductive health services and protection.
Yemen’s reproductive health situation is dire due to the ongoing conflict, negatively impacting women and children. Challenges include a severe shortage of healthcare services; conflict has destroyed many facilities, making reproductive healthcare extremely difficult to access.
Conflict and displacement have left many families without breadwinners, children homeless, and women facing tragic circumstances. This grim reality demands everyone work towards peaceful, equitable solutions to end the suffering.
Conflict After Conflict
Yemen is in chaos due to political conflict and economic and social crises, severely impacting all aspects of citizens’ lives. The ongoing conflict has divided society, increased tensions, and created an unsafe environment. This insecurity affects daily life, especially for women and children. Many have lost jobs and salaries, leading to extreme poverty. Women are particularly vulnerable, facing increased physical and psychological risks, putting them at greater risk of health and mental health issues.
Engineer Ahmad Muhammad highlights the complex challenges facing Yemenis due to political, economic, and social crises, reflecting a painful reality demanding urgent attention.
He notes that the crisis isn’t just political; the resulting economic crisis has halted salaries in many government sectors, worsening living standards for many families. Displacement due to conflict has also damaged education, especially for primary school children.
Engineer Ahmad also described the difficult reality facing displaced women in Yemen, highlighting key challenges. Displaced women suffer from deteriorating health, making them more vulnerable to illness. Poor living conditions and lack of healthcare contribute to this decline. Difficulties accessing reproductive healthcare lead to significant health risks during pregnancy and childbirth.
He explained that fathers losing jobs due to conflict adds another burden on families, forcing them to seek work in unfamiliar and often insecure environments, increasing anxiety and instability. Displacement doesn’t only affect health, but also the social and psychological well-being of women. Moving to new environments can mean insecurity and a lack of social support.
The Impact of the Conflict
Dr. Nuha Ahmad, an obstetrician and gynecologist, revealed a serious decline in Yemen’s reproductive healthcare services during the years of conflict. The fighting led to shortages of medicine and medical equipment, blocked roads, and a lack of health awareness.
In a statement to Women in Development and Peace newspaper, Dr. Nuha explained that the lack of contraceptives and medical tools for pregnant women increased pregnancy complications like toxemia and hemorrhaging. She noted that many women are forced to give birth at home because they can’t reach hospitals, putting their lives and their babies’ lives at risk.
She added, “The growing poverty caused by the conflict has greatly worsened the crisis. There’s been a rise in maternal and newborn deaths due to postpartum hemorrhage, uterine rupture, and other complications not treated in time.”
The doctor noted that the situation slightly improved in 2023 with roads reopening in most governorates and more pregnant women seeking care. However, reproductive healthcare services are still far from where they were before the conflict.
According to a UN Population Fund report titled, “Eight Years of Conflict, Despite a Fragile Truce, Childbirth Remains a Matter of Life or Death in Yemen” (2023), eight years ago, in the midst of the bloody conflict that engulfed Yemen, a pregnant woman suffered from severe malnutrition due to the consequences of the fighting and faced an uncertain fate. In those harsh conditions, healthcare facilities were almost paralyzed, causing her to go into premature labor with her third child, increasing the risk of her death. This woman’s suffering embodies the reality faced by millions of Yemeni women in the absence of basic healthcare due to the conflict.
The UN Population Fund report confirmed that Yemen is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis; over 21 million Yemenis need urgent humanitarian assistance. The crisis has worsened due to ongoing conflict, economic collapse, and rising food prices.
The report indicated that 80% of the population suffers from food insecurity, unable to secure enough food, and also faces a severe shortage of basic healthcare.
The Challenges
Reproductive health expert, Ishraq Al-Masah, says, “The ongoing conflict in Yemen for years has caused a severe humanitarian crisis and threatened the lives of thousands of pregnant women and their children. Malnutrition, lack of healthcare, violence, and displacement have led to increased maternal and child mortality rates, more premature births, and children with birth defects.”
She added, “Pregnant women in Yemen are facing inhumane conditions; they face great difficulties in getting enough food and the necessary healthcare. The anxiety and stress from the conflict negatively affect their mental and physical health.”
She pointed out that food insecurity, lack of clean water, and the destruction of health infrastructure have led to the spread of infectious diseases, increasing the suffering of women and children. The lack of access to contraception increases the number of births in difficult living conditions.
Al-Masah called on the international community to intervene urgently to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance to Yemen, provide support to the health sector, and protect civilians, especially women and children.
Proposed Solutions
Ishraq Al-Masah stressed that the ongoing conflict in Yemen has exacerbated the already poor health situation, leading to great suffering for the Yemeni people, especially women and children. It has caused a severe shortage of medicines and medical equipment, destroyed health infrastructure, and increased the spread of diseases.
She pointed to the need to end violence and conflict and provide a safe environment for humanitarian aid to reach and provide healthcare services, especially to women.
She explained that increasing humanitarian aid from international organizations and governments is a realistic solution to alleviate the severity of the reproductive health crisis. This includes focusing on providing medicines and medical equipment, rehabilitating healthcare facilities, and supporting nutrition programs for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and children. Primary healthcare must be strengthened, providing primary healthcare services in affected areas, training healthcare workers, equipping health centers with necessary tools, and providing immunization and disease prevention services.
Given the circumstances in Yemen due to the conflict and its consequences, it is necessary to provide health, psychological, and social support to women, especially displaced women, to ensure they receive the necessary care and to strengthen their ability to adapt to new challenges. There’s an urgent need for humanitarian efforts and aid to mitigate the effects of the conflict and support affected families.