It has been recognized that the extreme disruption and isolation that refugees experience can also have serious consequences for their reproductive health. Among these are poor access to safe delivery services and contraceptive methods, as well as sexual violence, with consequences ranging from physical and psychological trauma to HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancy. Reproductive health care can, therefore, save refugee women's lives and should be given priority in emergency refugee assistance efforts. Critical reproductive health services during emergency phase include clean and safe delivery, prevention and treatment of STDs and HIV/AIDS, emergency contraception, and life-saving treatment for complications of miscarriage and contraception. Within this context, the Inter-Agency Working Group has made considerable progress in strengthening reproductive health services in terms of equipment supply, technical materials, policy and advocacy, as well as research and monitoring and programmatic action. Finally, as access to safe abortion care is increased for refugee women, efforts are being made to prevent unsafe abortion by improving supplies of contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancy, emergency contraception, and postabortion care.

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Family Planning Programs Sexually Transmitted Diseases--prevention and control Reproduction Infections Reproductive Behavior Reproductive Medicine refugee Family Planning Services sexual behavior health care planning population Reproductive Tract Infections demography Migrants Population Dynamics Refugees health service fertility Disease sexually transmitted disease health Sexually Transmitted Diseases Summary Report Diseases Postabortal Programs health services Pregnancy, Unwanted Article unwanted pregnancy migration Health Planning Demographic Factors World Reproductive Health research Emigration and Immigration infection Transients and Migrants Delivery of Health Care family planning general aspects of disease aftercare health care delivery