Women in IDP camps face myriad problems during the rainy season

By Khin Tharaphy Oo 13 Jun 2019

Khin Tharaphy Oo | DMG

11 June, Sittwe

Refugees in IDP camps, especially women are concerned about their physical and mental welfare because they are put in a position to live under meager shelters and the ensuing rainy seasons will make their lives even more unbearable.

Women are facing difficulties in their day to day living while pregnant women are in dire need of health before the rainy season sets in.

Daw Ma Aye Soe, who delivered her baby in Tin Nyo IDP camp, said that pregnant women in IDP camps were facing various difficulties because the situation was different from living in their homes.

“Pregnant women are suffering from living in IDP camps. They feel ill. They lack the comforts they were used to living in their homes. They cannot get any food they want to eat, and that’s crucial for pregnant women” she said.

There are 16 pregnant women in Tin Nyo refugee camp in Mrauk-U Township and 24 pregnant women in Wah Taung refugee camp in Kyauktaw Township, according to the managers of the camps.

Some women had fled from their homes in a hurry so now they’re facing difficulty finding clothing and maintaining their personnel hygiene.

While pregnant women find it difficult to deliver babies, adolescent girls and women are in uncomfortable situations using shared toilets and taking baths in collective facilities, said Ma Oo Sein from Wah Taung IDP camp.

“Female IDPs face a lot of troubles, especially with their health and hygiene. It is not comfortable and one hundred percent hygienic to deliver baby in IDP camps, even in the summer. So, there will be more challenges when the rainy season is in full effect,” she said.

Moreover, adolescent girls are facing challenges in their daily lives because the living quarters they have to stay in with their families provides no privacy, especially when it is raining, according to Daw Hla Thar Nu from Ahtet Myat Hle camp in Ponnagyun Township.

“Adolescent children have to sleep in a tiny, cramped place with family members on rainy nights. If it is not raining, some family members can sleep outside the tent. There are a lot of challenges for adolescent girls to live in a small tent with no privacy,” she said.

Even though the rainy season has commenced, we could not get decent shelter yet, she added.