RAMALLAH: Women and girls in Gaza are resorting to unsafe ways of managing their periods amid a severe shortage of period products and catastrophic humanitarian conditions, ActionAid has said in a statement.
“ActionAid has heard that some displaced women living in Rafah are so desperate they are cutting out small pieces of the tents they rely on for shelter from the cold and rain to use as a substitute for period products, risking infection. The lack of water means keeping clean is near impossible, with women telling us they have gone for weeks without showering,” the statement said.
“A staff member at ActionAid Palestine, who wished to remain anonymous, has been displaced from her home three times and is now in the south of Gaza. She told us: ‘There is no water. I suffered during my period. There was no water available for me to get clean during my period. I had no sanitary pads for my own needs throughout my period.’
“With Rafah currently hosting more than a million displaced people – more than four time
s its usual population – in extremely overcrowded conditions, there is no privacy. Queues for toilets are extremely long, with UNRWA estimating that at its shelters in Rafah there is only one toilet per 486 people.
Adara*, who was displaced from her home with her four children, told us: ‘We suffer a lot whenever we want to go to the bathroom. We stand in line for a long time and the bathrooms are far away.’ ”
“Without water, women and girls on their periods are unable to wash themselves and stay clean. This, combined with a lack of soap, and with many women forced to use period products or substitutes for longer than is safe, poses a risk to their health. Only one of the three water pipelines from Israel to Gaza is currently functioning, according to UNOCHA. People are only accessing an average of 1.5 to 2 litres of water per day – which is below the 3 litres needed for their basic survival, and well below the minimum 15 litres required per person each day to cover all water and sanitation-related needs, in
cluding washing.”
Riham Jafari, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine said: ‘Imagine having to manage your period with no period products, toilet paper or soap, and no chance of being able to wash yourself – all while living cheek by jowl with other people without a moment of privacy. This is the reality for hundreds of thousands of women and girls in Gaza right now. It isn’t just affront to their dignity – it’s a real health hazard too.
‘One of our colleagues in Gaza told me it has been weeks since she’s been able to have a shower. Women like her are showing incredible resilience and finding creative ways to manage their periods and needs as best they can, but they shouldn’t have to: it is a fundamental right for women to be able to manage their periods safely and with dignity.
‘At ActionAid, we are supporting women and girls as best we can, but with the already catastrophic humanitarian conditions worsening by the day and the scale of need skyrocketing, these solutions are just a
sticking plaster. As we have repeatedly stated, what the people of Gaza need is a permanent ceasefire, now, to end the senseless killing of civilians, with women and girls making up 70% of those killed, and to allow desperately needed aid to reach those who need it.’
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency
The Lebanese Association for Taxpayers’ Rights (ALDIC) met with the Head of Al Kataeb party and Kataeb Parliamentary Bloc, MP Samy Gemayel, in his office, in Bekfaya.
ALDIC delegation presented to MP Gemayel its 2023 report, prepared in collaboration with the “Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’ foundation and ‘The Policy Initiative’, and which assesses the public financial management in Lebanon. The delegation briefed him on the main details of the report, and tackled the laws that could facilitate the implementation of the anticipated reforms.
The meeting was attended by ALDIC board members Mr. Jean Tawile and Mr. Nadim Daher, as well as ALDIC coordinator in Bina project, Ms. Racha Saadeh Chehab, who were received by MP Gemayel in the presence of Mr. Patrick Risha, head of media affairs, and Ms. Lara Saadeh, head of legislative affairs within the Kataeb party.
MP Gemayel affirmed alignment of most of ALDIC’s ideas with his party’s demands and financial policy, emphasizing Kataeb bloc’s advocacy for structural ref
orms and managing the public financial management problems. He also expressed readiness for collaboration with ALDIC, other parliamentary blocs, and representatives of the civil society, in order to find solutions and reach the long awaited reforms.
From its end, ALDIC delegation stressed on transparent and proper public fund management’s urgency, a vital necessity for Lebanon particularly in view of lack of transparency and accountability, in addition to the overwhelming crisis.
This visit marks the start of a series of meetings by ALDIC with parliamentary bloc representatives to introduce the 2023 report on public financial management. Coordination with all stakeholders is underway to reach effective solutions. These meetings are part of the “Bina'” initiative financed by the European Union, aiming to legislate the necessary laws in compliance with the principles of public financial management.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon