Displaced Girls Research Articles

Menstrual material maintenance, disposal, and laundering challenges among displaced girls and women in Northeast Nigeria

Abstract Displaced girls and women face a range of gendered challenges living in humanitarian contexts, including issues related to managing their menstruation safely, privately, and with dignity. Specific barriers identified across contexts include a lack of access to menstrual materials and supplies, safe and private toilets, and menstrual health information. Despite growing efforts by humanitarian organizations to address the menstruation-related needs of displaced populations, key aspects related to the maintenance of menstrual materials, including disposal and laundering, continue to be overlooked. This qualitative assessment was conducted in Northeast Nigeria with female Internally Displaced Persons aged 15–49 years (n = 70) and humanitarian response staff (n = 11). Findings indicate inconsistent access to menstrual materials and supplies, including items required for the routine cleaning of reusable menstrual materials. Additionally, many respondents highlighted insufficient access to menstruation-supportive toilets, including a lack of disposal options and poor lighting. Challenges with being able to discreetly launder reusable menstrual materials was problematic, leading some to adopt coping strategies such as constructing makeshift washrooms. Moving forward, more attention should be directed towards ensuring that the full spectrum of menstrual-related needs of girls and women are addressed, including improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facility design and programming that considers the practical implications of menstrual material maintenance.

A Systematic Review of Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge, Experiences and Access to Services among Refugee, Migrant and Displaced Girls and Young Women in Africa.

Adolescent girls and young women are an overlooked group within conflict- or disaster-affected populations, and their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs are often neglected. Existing evidence shows that forced migration and human mobility make girls and women more vulnerable to poor SRH outcomes such as high risk sexual behaviors, lack of contraception use, STIs and HIV/AIDS. We performed a systematic literature review to explore knowledge, experiences and access to SRH services in this population group across the African continent. Two databases (PubMed and Web of Science) were searched and from 896 identified publications, 15 peer-reviewed articles published in English met the inclusion criteria for this review. These consisted of eight applied qualitative, five quantitative and two mixed-method study designs. The quality of the studies was evaluated by the mixed-methods appraisal tool (MMAT) using scores in percentages (0–100%). Available evidence indicates that knowledge of young women and girls regarding contraceptive methods, STIs and HIV/AIDS are limited. This population group often experiences gender-based and sexual violence and abuse. The access and availability of SRH services are often limited due to distances, costs and stigma. This review demonstrates that there is still a dearth of peer-reviewed literature on SRH related aspects among refugee, migrant and displaced girls and young women in Africa. The data disaggregation by sex and age should be emphasized for future research in this field.