Many displaced women in Darfur have suffered extensively. |
NAIROBI, 15 Dec 2006 (IRIN) - A significant number of displaced
women in South Darfur, western Sudan, suffer from depression and experience
suicidal thoughts because of largely unaddressed mental-health problems,
according to a study by the International Medical Corps (IMC).
Solomon
Kebede, IMC country director in Darfur, told IRIN on Friday the study was
conducted in the field two years ago, but the situation had since deteriorated
further. "We are looking for funds to update [the study] because the situation
is now worse than it was at that time," he added.
The study of 1,283
women found that one-third met the criteria for major depressive disorder and
double that number reported symptoms of depression. One in every 20 respondents
reported suicidal thoughts and two percent said they had attempted suicide. Both
statistics represent rates much higher than global norms, the study noted.
"Humanitarian aid has met some of their basic needs [but] women's health
and mental health remain largely unaddressed," the IMC said. "While
suicide-related figures were actually lower than in other conflict-affected
populations, they are still alarmingly high compared to general rates globally,
and indicate a serious shortage of access to mental-illness treatment in South
Darfur."
According to the IMC, no mental-health services are available
for displaced people in Darfur, apart from those offered by a few international
NGOs. "The prevalence of depression and suicide is a considerable mental-health
burden worldwide and a challenge for humanitarian agencies in Sudan," the study
noted.
The IMC study also found that women's health issues had suffered
from general neglect, with high pregnancy rates, minimal family planning and
prenatal services and high rates of childbirth with no skilled attendants. Yet,
women head between 65 and 84 percent of all households among those internally
displaced by the conflict in Darfur.
According to the World Health
Organization, women have considerable mental-health needs in many under-served
populations. The multiple roles they play in society place them at greater risk
of experiencing mental-health problems than others in the community.
Women more than men are likely to be adversely affected by specific
mental disorders, such as anxiety-related disorders and depression, the effects
of domestic and sexual violence, and escalating rates of substance abuse.
At least 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Darfur
since the conflict began in 2003 between government forces, allied militias and
rebels seeking greater autonomy, and more than two million others have been
displaced within Sudan and into neighbouring Chad. Twelve humanitarian workers
have been killed since May.
Currently, the International Criminal Court
(ICC) is completing investigations into those who bear the greatest
responsibility for the worst crimes in Darfur.
On Thursday, the ICC
Chief Prosecutor, Louis Moreno Ocampo, told the United Nations Security Council
that the evidence collected so far provided "reasonable grounds to believe" that
individuals had committed crimes against humanity, such as murder, wilful
killings and rape; and war crimes, including torture and intentional attacks
against civilians.
Incidents of rape and sexual assaults continued to be
reported at very high levels in Darfur while attacks on humanitarian personnel
and peacekeepers were a prominent feature of the current situation, he said.
Attacks on humanitarian personnel are prohibited under international
humanitarian law and constitute a war crime within the Court’s jurisdiction,
Ocampo added.
The findings of the IMC study were published in the
December online version of the American Journal of Public Health, and will also
appear in the January 2007 print edition of the journal.