The health of women and children affected by armed conflict is not addressed

New estimates have revealed that the health needs of 630 million women and children affected by armed conflict around the world are unmet.

According to a new series of four articles exposing the dramatic effects of modern warfare on the health of women and children, the armed conflict has affected the health needs of at least 630 million women and children – more than 8% of the world’s population – in 2017.

The authors are now calling for international commitment from humanitarian actors and donors to address political and security challenges, as well as consensus on a framework to identify high priority interventions to reach the most vulnerable women and children. vulnerable with the best possible care.

The series, led by academic co-researchers and partners affiliated with the BRANCH consortium (Bridging Research & Action in Conflict Settings for the Health of Women & Children), was published in The Lancet.

Women’s and children’s health

It shows existing evidence with new models and insights from a range of local research partners, humanitarian agencies and civil society organizations, and explores the changing nature of war and conflict, its effects. on the short and long term health of women and children, strategies to identify the best responses and interventions supported by national studies and assessments.

New estimates suggest that the number of women and children affected by armed conflict in the world has increased steadily since 2000, due to population growth, increasing conflict, increasing use of explosive weapons chemicals in urban areas and the growing number of refugees and internally displaced persons.

Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta, Center for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada and Institute for Global Health & Development at Aga Khan University, who led the series, said: “ The new estimates provide compelling evidence for the huge indirect toll of modern warfare caused by easily preventable infectious diseases, malnutrition, sexual violence and poor mental health, as well as the destruction of basic services such as water and medical facilities.

“Today, more than half of the world’s women and children live in countries in active conflict. The international community cannot continue to ignore their plight. It is time to radically rethink the global response to the challenges of insecurity, access, policy, coordination and logistics of delivering high priority interventions to women and children in high priority settings. politically unstable and insecure contexts.

Learning lessons

The series assessed the delivery of proven health interventions for women and children in 10 conflict-affected countries at different stages of conflict and under geographic, political and economic conditions, finding that although priority is generally given to a range of interventions, including antenatal care. , emergency obstetric care, infant immunization, and infant and young child feeding, evidence suggests that the provision of many life-saving services, including most sexual, reproductive, newborn and adolescent health services, is limited.

The authors called on humanitarian health actors, including global and local agencies and NGOs, and universities working in conflict situations to establish a decision-making framework to guide the selection of priority interventions and improve accountability.

Dr Jai Das from Aga Khan University in Pakistan said: “Pre-defined packages of priority health services for women and children are not widely accepted. Instead, international donors remain the main drivers for influencing what, where and how interventions are delivered. Although there are technical and operational guidelines on promoting the health of women and children in humanitarian crises, they are not specific to conflict situations and have been developed as a general response to a wide range of situations. emergency, including natural disasters and epidemics.