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Men in detention face sexual torture amid war in Ukraine
Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine – In the early hours of the morning, at a location in Ukraine not far from the front line of the war, Antonina* found herself staring at a disturbing message on her phone. It was a video recording of her…
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Nadia’s song of resilience: Raising her voice amid crisis and displacement
Syrian Arab Republic
UNITED NATIONS, New York – “I've loved singing since I was a child,” 24-year-old Nadia told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. “It is my way of expressing my feelings and thoughts.”
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“Where are we supposed to go?”: Women and girls in northern Gaza endure displacement, hunger and healthcare under attack
Palestine, State of
NORTH GAZA, Occupied Palestinian Territory – Adla was forced from her home in Jabalia, in North Gaza, after it was demolished by Israeli forces. “We had no mattress, no food, no clothes – nothing. We fled the airstrikes…
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Meeting women's and girls' needs where they are to prevent and address gender-based violence
New York
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Too often, when conflict and crisis force women and girls to flee their homes, gender-based abuse follows close behind. Amid the chaos of displacement, the threat of violence by armed actors,…
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“You don’t see young women in some camps”: Harrowing reports of sexual violence and healthcare attacks in Sudan’s Aj Jazirah State
Sudan
AJ JAZIRAH, Sudan – “Some parents were killed while trying to protect their daughters from being raped,” said Sara*, a counsellor in Sudan’s eastern Aj Jazirah state and one of many health workers relaying shocking…
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What women and girls need most as climate disasters and displacement wreak havoc across the world
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Across dozens of countries, the global climate crisis is not impending – it has arrived. In 2023, climate disasters drove millions of the world’s most vulnerable women and girls from their…
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A sisterhood of support: Improving maternity care in Ethiopia’s climate change-ravaged Somali region
Ethiopia
SOMALI REGION, Ethiopia – Abeba Birhanu, a 46-year-old midwife, has spent more than half her life delivering babies at the Karamara Hospital in Jigjiga, the capital of Ethiopia’s Somali region. Throughout those years,…
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In the West Bank, mobile healthcare teams are a lifeline amid crisis
Palestine, State of
WEST BANK, State of Palestine – In the small village of Bethlehem’s Al Uqban, 55-year-old Mariam Al Zeer waited in line while a mobile healthcare team arrived at the clinic. The existing clinic is rundown and does not…
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Mass displacement of pregnant women requires mobilization of maternal health services in Lebanon, Syria
Lebanon
BEIRUT, Lebanon/ DAMASCUS, Syria – More than 11,000 pregnant women have been impacted by the escalated bombardment of Lebanon. Some 1,300 of them are expected to give birth in the next month, even as an estimated one…
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In Sudan, city’s last remaining hospital shelled: “We need support now”
Sudan
AL FASHER, Sudan – A succession of five artillery shells struck Al-Saudi Maternity Hospital, the last remaining hospital in Al Fasher, on 13 October. The blasts injured 10 medical personnel and destroyed multiple…
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Attacked, understaffed, underfunded: Healthcare shortages endanger pregnant women in north-west Syria
Syrian Arab Republic
IDLIB, Syrian Arab Republic – Ongoing conflict and instability continue to severely disrupt life in north-west Syria, straining medical supply stocks and overwhelming the capacity of healthcare workers. Pregnant women…
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Responders to Nigeria’s flood crisis are themselves affected by crisis
Nigeria
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – Flash floods throughout West and Central Africa have left more than 5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance across Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and other countries in the region.…
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