UN moves to tackle women's needs in Fiji

Transcript

The United Nations says pregnancy related death and sexual violence rates soar in humanitarian disasters, and that's a concern in cyclone devastated Fiji.  

They say there are 87,000 women of reproductive age in the area affected by the cyclone and moves are currently underway to respond to women's needs and ensure their safety.

Bridget Grace reports.

The United Nations Population Fund says there are more than five and a half thousand pregnant women in Fji, with 600 babies due for delivery each month for the next year.  The director of the United Nations Population Fund for the Pacific, Dr Laurent Zessler, says those women need help, with 14 percent expected to have complications.

LAURENT ZESSLER:  "It means that the affected area after cyclone Winston will need to face and ensure that proper care is given to the pregnant mothers to ensure safe delivery as well."

He says the UNFPA will deploy retired midwives to health centres and nursing stations to help relieve overworked nurses.  Dr Zessler says 20 retired midwives will be dispatched this week to Tailevu, Ra and Ba.  He says it is also very important for women to receive clean delivery kits and dignity kits.  UNICEF's Alice Clements, who's in Suva, says women's needs may not be immediately obvious.

ALICE CLEMENTS:  "We distribute things like sanitary pads for women who have been affected as well.  In addition to life saving measures such as water and sanitation we also want to ensure that affected populations who have lost literally everything can maintain their dignity in the hardest of times."  

The UNFPA's Dr Zessler says they are also working on providing safe spaces for women who could face  sexual violence.

LAURENT ZESSLER: "When we were dealing with Vanuatu, Cyclone Pam, these safe spaces were provided for women to get information and also to get referral.  Where they can go for their needs in terms of services that are provided by the national authorities.  So it's information, referrals and support."

The executive director of Femlink Pacific, Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls, says there is a gap in the humanitarian response because women in Fiji are not as involved as they should be.

SHARON BHAGWAN-ROLLS:  "When only one or two women might be in those positions of decision-making, it will mean that the assessments that are also being done are through the eyes of men.  That's why we're saying we need a real change in terms of making sure now that women are in those positions.  So that from the local level they're able to do the assessments and communicate into these official channels of what are the needs specifically of women."

Ms Bhagwan-Rolls says women in Fiji have a key responsibility in all communities for water and a lack of water continues to be a problem because men are not seeing that as a priority.  she says there is also a need for more specific data as women are not one homogenous group.  

SHARON BHAGWAN-ROLLS:  "We need to make sure that when we are talking about women's needs we're not just referring to able-bodied hetero-normative women.  We're talking about women of all diversities."

Fji's Minister for Women, Rosy Akbar, said in a statement all organisations need to work with the government in the recovery process as there are still women and children in need of assistance.