MOST RECENT INFORMATION ON UNFPA HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION - a snapshot of activities from 2 - 9 May 2022

ADDRESSING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

● From 2 to 9 May, the UN & ICRC facilitated a safe passage of more than 600 people, the majority of whom are women and children, from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia. UNFPA was on the ground with four psychologists and social workers giving much needed psychosocial support and medical referrals to traumatized evacuees and distributing female essentials packs to women and girls.

● UNFPA is collaborating with 10 shelters, eight crisis rooms, three daycare centers and nine services delivery points across Ukraine, prepositioning supplies, distributing dignity kits and essential packs based on needs assessment and ensuring women and girls, especially survivors of GBV, have access to specialized care.

● Twenty-four UNFPA mobile teams are providing psychosocial support across 12 oblasts, providing women and girls with psychosocial care and critical and much needed referrals to health, legal, and protection services and service providers. The mobile teams were set up in coordination with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine and the Office of Deputy Prime Minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Cooperation.

● UNFPA is supporting the National Hotline for GBV operated by LaStrada. During the reporting period 720 online requests and calls were received, out of which 184 are GBV cases.

ENSURING SAFE BIRTH & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

● Two reproductive health mobile teams deployed in Kyiv & Dnipro regions providing sexual and reproductive health services to women and girls and referrals to specialised medical services, especially for severe cases that require immediate attention and treatment.

● During the reporting period, UNFPA partner, the Ukrainian Medical Mission (UMM), provided medical check-up and referrals to four new cases of sexual violence in conflict. Within the last two weeks, 26 women and girls reported being raped and received post-rape treatment and care and were referred to psychological support services and specialized services.

● 54 metric tons of critical reproductive health supplies, medicines and equipment arrived in Ukraine to be distributed to maternity hospitals in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kherson, Mykolaiv and other cities in hard-to-reach areas. To date, 13 metric tons were delivered to areas affected by the war.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM LATEST SITUATION REPORT (covering the period from 20-28 April)

● UNFPA is partnering with the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPF-EN) and the Centre for Reproductive Rights to support national efforts in EU countries neighbouringUkraine to ensure that women, young people and marginalized populations fleeing the war in Ukraine are provided with access to SRH care and GBV information and services.

● GBV-specialized services continue to operate in safer areas across Ukraine, including Dnipro, Lviv, Odesa and Vinnytsia oblast, but not in communities where active hostilities are taking place.

● Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) remains among the most reported urgent needs. Displaced women suffer high levels of stress and anxiety due to fear, loss of family members or friends, and family separation. UNFPA is deploying a MHPSS expert to Ukraine to support all organizations member of the GBV sub-cluster.

● The national GBV hotline supported by UNFPA with 20 operators received a total of 3,735 calls and online requests between 11 March and 24 April. 79% of these cases are GBV-related out of which 63% are reported by women. Reports include sexual violence, including intimate partner sexual violence.

● Some 15.7 million people are estimated to be in need of protection assistance, including 3.3 million people in need of protection services mitigating the risks and outcomes of GBV, and 14.5 million people in need of mine action-related assistance.

● UNFPA continues to chair the GBV Sub-cluster (95 organisations) under the Protection Cluster, the SRH Working group (52 organisations) under the Health Cluster, and the Medical Logistics Working Group under the Logistics Cluster, with regular meetings to ensure a coordinated response.

● UNFPA is working with the Ukrainian Medical Mission to provide support to survivors of Sexual and gender-based violence in the Northern parts of Kyiv region through health mobile teams. Services have included surgical repair with the use of the CMR kits.

Moldova

● More than 10 metric tons of reproductive health (RH) kits were procured and delivered to hospitals and 41 youth-friendly health clinics across the country to support the provision of lifesaving SRH and GBV services to the refugees from Ukraine. The inter-agency RH kits include supplies, medicines and equipment for the management of emergency obstetric and gynaecological care, including gynecologic oncology, clinical delivery assistance, management of complications of miscarriage and abortions, and treatment of the STIs, post-rape care, contraceptives and other reproductive health supplies. The reproductive health kits will cover the needs of a population of more than 450,000 people across Moldova.

● Expanding existing service centres for women and youth, UNFPA established 8 Orange Safe Spacesin Chisinau and various locations (Palanca border crossing, Nisporeni, Criuleni, Congaz) across Moldova to provide for refugee youth, women and older persons a physically, emotionally, and socially protective environment, support related to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence, resilience building and recreational activities.

● GBV referral pathways were developed in collaboration with national and local authorities and NGOs specializing in health, legal, and social services, as well as law enforcement bodies with other UN agencies.

● As co-leads of the inter-agency GBV sub-working group, UNFPA and UNHCR conducted webinars for humanitarian frontline responders in Moldova on GBV safe disclosure and referral.

Belarus

● GBV in emergency training to refugee service providers is continuing on a weekly basis.

● Psychological supervisory support (advisory support and counseling by experienced psychologists) to Red Cross specialists and volunteers is up and running. Coordination of refugee support by the Red Cross is strengthened by national experts in psychosocial support, GBV prevention and overall coordination.

Neighboring EU countries

● UNFPA, in partnership with the International Planned Parent Federation - European Network (IPPF-EN) and through local civil society organizations, has launched a programme to support national efforts in Romania to ensure women and young people have access to information and services related to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence.

● UNFPA is partnering with the Geneva-based Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and local partners to strengthen national capacities in EU countries neighboring Ukraine for providing sexual and reproductive health care to women, girls, and marginalized populations fleeing the war.