Close by 300,000 women continue to die during pregnancy or birth every year. More than two million babies die in their first month of life and about two million more are stillborn, says the World Health Organization (WHO), which starts a long campaign on motherly and newborn health.
The data adds a preventable death every seven seconds, according to the UN Health Agency.
The Healthy beginning, hopeful futures Campaign is Asking governments and health policy makers to increase efforts to end preventable mothers and newborn deathsand prioritize women’s long -term health and well -being.
Helps any woman and baby to survive and thrive
Through a series of strategic actions aimed at not only to save lives, but ensure that both mothers and infants thrive. In collaboration with partners, it will focus on strengthening health professionals and sharing crucial information about healthy pregnancies, safe birth and postnatal care.
Listens to women
Access to compassionate care of high quality is important for women and families everywhere emphasizing. Health Systems need to develop to tackle a wide range of health concerns, including obstetric complications, problems of mental health, non-infectious illnesses and family planning – To ensure that women’s needs are met both before, during and after birth.
Girls affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza receive a care and protection package distributed by UNICEF.
Women in war zones
At the same time, the proportion of Women and girls trapped in conflict zones are skyrocketed in the past year when women now make up 40 percent of all civilian deaths in armed conflicts.
Today, over 600 million women and girls live in areas affected by violence – an alarming 50 percent increase since 2017.
When the conflict is intensified across the globe, women and girls carry a heavy mental health figure. From Afghanistan and Gaza to Georgia and Ukraine, millions fight with post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and trauma with limited access to support and care.
Around One in five people affected by a humanitarian crisis will develop long -term mental health conditions. Despite this, only two percent of the distressed care gets the care they need. Mental health financing globally represents between one and two percent of health care costs.
Sharp cleft on mental health
The gap between countries with high and low income in mental healthcare is sharp. In wealthy nations, there are more than 70 employees in mental health for every 100,000 people. In contrast, this number falls in low -income countries to fewer than one.
As conflicts move on, the number of women affected continues to rise, making this crisis even more urgent. The UN Equality Bureau, UN Women, spoke to women in Afghanistan, Gaza, Georgia and Ukraine to understand how these conflicts stab a mental health crisis.
UNFPAS Mobile Psychosocial Support Team travels over Ukraine, including to the front lines, and offers immediate emergency interventions as well as access to long -term help.
Women in Gaza caught in trauma
In Gaza, relentless bombing, displacement and deprivation have created a humanitarian disaster. Living under siege and the constant threat of violence, women and girls face extreme levels of fear, trauma and exhaustion.
Data from UN women show that 75 percent feel regular depression, 62 percent cannot sleep, and 65 percent suffer from nightmares and anxiety – most are left to cope alone.
“My mental and psychological health is suffering,” said a 27-year-old pregnant mother of three from Khan Younis. “Sometimes I go to the bathroom just to cry and cry until I feel better.”
Women not only deal with their own trauma – they also try to care for their children.
“I have not prioritized my health because I am the primary caregiver for my children, provided the roles of both father and mother,” the 27-year-old mother added.
Afghanistan: Women Deleted from Public Life
In Afghanistan, Taliban’s return has dealt with a crushing battle for women’s rights and mental health. Alison Davidian, the UN Women’s Women’s Representative, warns that nearly four years of Taliban -decree has “devised” women’s autonomy.
Without women in leadership roles and 98 percent who report no influence on local decisions, many feel trapped in a life of isolation and despair.
“Three years ago, an Afghan woman could run to president. Now she might not even be able to decide when to buy groceries,” says Davidian. The result is overwhelming psychological distress, with 68 percent of women in Afghanistan reporting their mental health as “bad” or “very bad.”
An IOM -Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Counselor leads a session with women in Pactica Province, Afghanistan.
Georgia: antidepressant use on increase
In Georgia, continuous displacement and conflict have left many women without access to adequate mental healthcare. About 200,000 people remain internally displaced, with almost 40 percent living in shelters under serious conditions.
Mental health problems are widespread, with 23 percent suffering from PTSD, 10 percent reporting of depression and 9 percent employment of anxiety. Still, only about a third of the care concerned has sought care.
“We saw a sharp increase in antidepressant use, especially in areas with a large number of displaced people,” said Elene Rusetskaia from Women’s Information Center. “The problem of mental health is very serious, especially among children.”
Ukraine: Home Violence and Depression Hovering In the Midst of War
In Ukraine, the war, derived from Russia’s invasion, has pushed women’s mental health into crisis. Gender -based violence has risen by 36 percent since 2022, and women shoulder shoulder more unpaid care – up to 56 hours a week. 42 percent are now at risk of depression, while 23 percent report needs advice.
Displeased women, many of them refugees, face some of the worst mental health challenges with limited access to support services.
A recent study conducted by the International Migration Organization (IOM) found that 53 percent of internally displaced people in Ukraine suffer from depression, yet assistance remains button.
In response, the UN women have provided protection, legal assistance and psychosocial support for more than 180,000 women and girls in Ukraine through women’s peace and humanitarian fund.
Financing of the health care system
The current humanitarian funding crisis that is worsened by declining health expenses in host countries affects the extent and quality of public health And nutrition programs for refugees and host communities, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, have said.
In Jordan, 335,000 women of reproductive age risk losing significant mothers’ health. Without adequate financing, Prenatal care, safe delivery and newborn healthcare disappears.
In Bangladesh, about a million Rohingya refugees face a serious health crisis due to financing freezing and threatening access to important medical services. In UNHCR supported programs, over 40,000 pregnant women can lose access to critical birth care, with 5,000 in danger of providing uncertain conditions.
In Burundi, the suspension of nutrition programs in several camps means that thousands of refugee children under five may not receive adequate treatment of malnutrition.
Necessity, not luxury
For women and girls in conflict zones, mental health care is a critical need, not a luxury. Recovery, dignity and survival depends on access to trauma care, counseling and community -based services.
As conflicts continue to destroy society, the need for mental health support becomes more urgent than ever. Countries must invest in mental health as a core part of humanitarian response, especially in conflict settings, the UN women emphasized, and urged governments to listen – and act.
