Jean Lambert MEP will be visiting Georgia this week to investigate the reproductive health needs of internally displaced people in the aftermath of the conflict with Russia. The study tour will take place from Thursday 18 until Saturday 20 September.
Jean Lambert is a Member of the European Parliament’s Working Group on Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Development. She will be joined on the visit by a small group of Parliamentarians from across Europe.
Background on reproductive health issues in Georgia
Among the conflict-affected people, about 30,000 are women of reproductive age and among them an estimated 1,400 are pregnant. Approximately 2,900 pregnant women remain in the conflict affected districts and need access to quality sexual and reproductive health services.
Recent statistics show that almost one third of births encounter complications and one in every five will be through caesarean section. The health infrastructure in Shida Kratli, the most affected region, is destroyed and SRH services need immediate support to respond to the population’s needs.
It is critical to provide the affected population with quality sexual reproductive health services both in reception centres in Tbilisi as well as in the regions directly affected by the armed conflict.
Identified issues:
* The displaced population needs assistance to address basic hygiene concerns and women and girls have unique health issues.
* Destroyed infrastructure and lack of access to health facilities lead to increased risk of complications during pregnancy and delivery, and home deliveries without skilled personnel.
* Malnutrition, lack of clothing and sanitary supplies for menstruation not only affects women and girls’ dignity, but may also lead to health problems.
* Women and girls are in urgent need of multivitamins and hygiene supplies such as sanitary towels, underwear, soap and shampoo.
* They are also at an increased risk of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV.
Agenda
Jean Lambert will take part in site visits to temporary shelters of internally displaced persons in Tbilisi and to the tent city in Gori. She will meet with representatives from the UN and Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth in South Caucasus (RHIYC), as well as Members of the Government and Parliament of Georgia, including the Vice Chairperson of the Georgian Parliament.
Participants
Kirsten Brosbøl MP, Denmark, Social Democratic Party Neena Gill MEP, United Kingdom, LabourCarina Hägg MP, Sweden, Social Democratic Party Jean Lambert MEP, United Kingdom, the Green Party Hilde Vautmans MP, Belgium, Liberal Party Wolfgang Wodarg MP, Germany, Social Democratic Party
Louise Lee-Jones, United Kingdom, Marie Stopes International Neil Datta, Belgium, EPF Secretary, European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development Marina Davidashvili, Belgium, EPF Network and Knowledge Sharing Facilitator, Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth in the South Caucasus