CONTENTS
November, 1996 |
In contrast to refugees, no single international agency looks out for internally displaced persons (72, 74). Despite their vulnerability and need, internally displaced persons often fall into a vacuum in which no international agency takes responsibility for their welfare (93, 342), and governments, which have the authority to do so, are unable or unwilling. Still, there is substantial international concern about the plight of internally displaced persons and their reproductive health care needs. The United Nations recently created the post of Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons to play a coordinating role in relief activities for internally displaced groups (93). While the mandate of UNHCR does not cover internally displaced persons, it has assumed limited responsibility for them (73, 297). A number of agencies provide reproductive health care to internally displaced persons, including the UK Department for International Development (formerly the Office of Development Assistance), the World Food Program, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) (55, 93, 335). Other relief or assistance agencies also have provided reproductive health care to internally displaced persons—as many as 20 in 12 countries, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Médecins sans frontières, and Deutsche Gesellschaft Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) (51).
Millions of people migrate every year in developing countries, most from rural areas to large cities and towns. Many others flee their homes as refugees and as internally displaced persons. While their reasons for moving and their circumstances differ widely, most face problems of dislocation and need to adapt to new, often difficult surroundings. Given their large numbers, rural-to-urban migrants are becoming an important new focus for urban reproductive health programs. Many programs have much to learn about how to serve these new clients better. Despite a growing number of program activities for refugees and internally displaced persons, they still often lack sufficient access to good reproductive health care. To serve them better, programs need to allocate more resources, learn more about these new clients, communicate better with them, and reach out to them with services. |