Nearly 300,000 women continue dying during pregnancy or childbirth every year. More than two million babies die in their first month of life and about two million more are born dead, says the World Health Organization (WHO) that is starting a one -year campaign on maternal and newborn health.
The data is added to a preventable death every seven seconds, according to the UN Health Agency.
He Healthy, hopeful future beginnings campaign is Ask governments and health policy leaders to increase efforts to end up preventable deaths of maternity and newbornsand prioritize the health and well -being of women in the long term.
Helping each woman and a baby survive and prosper
Through a series of strategic actions, which not only to save lives, but also ensure that both mothers and babies thrive. In collaboration with couples, he will focus on empowering health professionals and sharing crucial information about healthy pregnancies, safe childbirth and postnatal care.
Listening to women
Access to compassionate and high quality care is essential for women and families everywhere, which emphasizes. Health systems must evolve to address a wide range of health problems, including obstetric complications, mental health problems, noncommunicable diseases and family planning. – Ensure that the needs of women are satisfied so much before, during and after delivery.
Girls affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza receive an attention and protection package distributed by UNICEF.
Women in war zones
At the same time, the proportion of Women and girls trapped in conflict areas have shot themselves in the last year, with women who now represent 40 percent of all civil deaths in armed conflicts.
Today, more than 600 million women and girls live in areas affected by violence, an alarming increase of 50 percent since 2017.
As the conflict intensifies worldwide, women and girls have a high mental health number. From Afghanistan and Gaza to Georgia and Ukraine, millions are dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSP), anxiety, depression and trauma, with limited access to support and attention.
Around One in five people affected by a humanitarian crisis will develop long -term mental health conditions.. Despite this, only two percent of those in need receive the attention they require. World Health financing represents between one and two percent of health spending.
Mental Health Division
The gap between high and low -income countries in mental health services is marked. In rich nations, there are more than 70 mental health workers per 100,000 people. In contrast, in low -income countries, that number falls to less than one.
As conflicts advance, the number of affected women continues to increase, which makes this crisis even more urgent. The UN Gender Equality Agency, UN women, spoke with women in Afghanistan, Gaza, Georgia and Ukraine to understand how these conflicts are fanning a mental health crisis.
UNFPA mobile psychosocial support teams travel through Ukraine, even to the front line, offering immediate emergency interventions, as well as access to long -term assistance.
Women in gaza trapped in trauma
In Gaza, relentless bombings, displacement and deprivation have created a humanitarian catastrophe. Living under siege and the constant threat of violence, women and girls face extreme levels of fear, trauma and exhaustion.
The data of the UN women show that 75 percent feel regular depression, 62 percent cannot sleep and that 65 percent suffer from nightmares and anxiety, most remain to face alone.
“My mental and psychological health is suffering,” said a pregnant mother of three 27 -year -old children from Khan Younis. “Sometimes I go to the bathroom just to cry and cry until I feel better.”
Women are not only dealing with their own trauma, but they are also trying to take care of their children.
“I have not prioritized my health because I am the main caregiver for my children, assuming the roles of father and mother,” added the 27 -year -old mother.
Afghanistan: women erased from public life
In Afghanistan, the return of the Taliban has given a crushing blow to women's rights and mental health. Alison Davidian, UN representative for women, warns that almost four years of Taliban decrees have “eviscerated” the autonomy of women.
Without women in leadership roles and 98 percent who do not inform influence on local decisions, many feel trapped in a life of isolation and despair.
“Three years ago, an Afghan woman could run for president. Now, she may not even decide when to buy edible,” says Davidian. The result is overwhelming psychological anguish, with 68 percent of women in Afghanistan who report that their mental health is “bad” or “very bad.”
A Mental Health and Mental Support of the IIM leads a session with women in the province of Paktika, Afghanistan.
GEORGIA: ACCOUNTING ANTI -DEVING USE
In Georgia, displacement and conflicts have left many women without access to adequate mental care. Approximately 200,000 people remain internally displaced, with almost 40 percent living in shelters in terrible conditions.
Mental health problems are widespread, with 23 percent suffering from PTSD, the 10 percent reporting depression and 9 percent that treats anxiously. However, only around a third of those affected have sought attention.
“We saw a strong increase in the use of antidepressants, particularly in areas with a high number of displaced people,” said Elene Rusetskaia about the Women's Information Center. “The mental health problem is very serious, especially among children.”
Ukraine: domestic violence and depression shoot in the middle of the war
In Ukraine, the war derived from the invasion of Russia has pushed the mental health of women to the crisis. Gender -based violence has increased by 36 percent since 2022, and women are assuming more unpaid care work, up to 56 hours per week. Forty -two percent now run the risk of depression, while 23 percent reports that it needs advice.
Displaced women, many of them refugees, face some of the worst mental health challenges, with limited access to support services.
A recent survey conducted by the International Migration Organization (IIM) found that 53 percent of internally displaced persons in Ukraine suffer from depression, but assistance remains scarce.
In response, UN women have provided protection, legal assistance and psychosocial support to more than 180,000 women and girls in Ukraine through the Humanitarian Fund and Peace of Women.
Health financing
The current humanitarian financing crisis, exacerbated by the decrease in health spending in host countries, is affecting the scope and quality of public health. And nutrition programs for refugees and reception communities, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
In Jordan, 335,000 women of reproductive age are at risk of losing essential maternal health. Without enough funds, prenatal care, safe delivery and health services of newborns will disappear.
In Bangladesh, around one million refugees Rohingya face a severe health crisis due to funding, threatening access to essential medical services. In programs backed by UNHCR, more than 40,000 pregnant women can lose access to critical prenatal care, with 5,000 at risk of delivering in insecure conditions.
In Burundi, the suspension of nutrition programs in several fields means that thousands of children under five years of age may not receive adequate treatment for malnutrition.
Need, no luxury
For women and girls in conflict areas, mental health care is a critical need, not a luxury. Recovery, dignity and survival depend on access to trauma, advice and community services.
As conflicts continue to devastate communities, the need for mental health support becomes more urgent than ever. Countries must invest in mental health as a central part of the humanitarian response, especially in conflict environments, UN women, emphasized, calling governments to listen and act.
