Pakistan: IDPs fear returning back to their homes
SITUATION REPORT | UPDATED: July 10, 2009
PAKISTAN — Situation Report #3
Two and a half months of the Pakistan military’s offensive in the tribal agencies left a trail of heavy infrastructural damage, human losses, and a severe economic crisis in the war affected region. With the completion of the rapid response phase, humanitarian agencies are still struggling to implement a comprehensive initiative focusing on education, food security, health, and protection of the displaced people. The delay in funding was yet another challenge for all involved, and large numbers of humanitarian organizations are still on hold.
CWS-P/A’s field team reports that in the past two weeks an influx of trapped people, mostly from Swat, were received in Mardan and Swabi. Some of the displaced men were seriously injured during their escape and need immediate medical attention. Also, the health problems faced by the IDPs are worsened by a combination of lack of funds, a lack of women doctors, and cultural constraints which dictate that it is not appropriate for male doctors to tend to women or girls. A large number of women are very reluctant to seek medical advice from male doctors for their children including both boys and girls and have shared their fears on protection issues. The WHO recently reported that within a few weeks, its medicine supplies will be depleted. With the onset of the monsoon season, health problems including malaria and cholera will increase. Without proper medical attention and without sufficient supplies of medicine, many IDPs could suffer severe health problem or even face death.
IDPs share their concerns over the lingering uncertainty and the government’s claim that it is safe for them to return home. Local media reports that on June 3, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that displaced populations could start returning home by July 13. Talking to CWS-P/A’s Communication Officer, an IDP from Buner shared his concern over this decision and expressed that as a majority of displaced people continue to suffer from shock, they are afraid of returning back because they feel that some Taliban presence still exists in those areas.
ACT Members’ Activities:
CWS-P/A and NCA are continuing to coordinate their work together.
CWS-P/A:
CWS-P/A continued the procurement process of 13,500 food packages. The distribution is expected to start next week. CWS-P/A’s Disaster Response team also inspected the warehouses of all three implementing partners; Sungi Development Foundation, CHIP and SSEWA-Pak at Mardan and Swabi.
CWS-P/A’s mobile health unit continued to provide general services and medications to the IDPs in Abbottabad and Mansehra.
This week, CWS-P/A formed a partnership with PHF forum for carrying out a joint assessment for IDPs recovery and rehabilitation phase.
CWS-P/A also had a special meeting with the UN Gender Advisor in Islamabad to address the gender gaps during the IDPs humanitarian response, especially women and children needs that require serious attention and also the challenges faced by women in host communities for accessing the distribution packages.
NCA:
The implementing partner Pakistan Village Development Program (PVDP) distributed NFIs to eight hundred sixty-eight new displaced families in Yar Hussain Camp. Also, fifty folding beds have been distributed in Yar Hussain Camp after deserving beneficiary list was prepared.
NCA’s implementing partner, also received one hundred and nine displaced people at the medical center for general health services (consultation, checkup and hygiene sessions) and provided medicines for sickness, such as diarrhea, scabies, chest inflection, fever, stomach ulcers, general weakness, and reproductive health problems.
PVDP established its referral mechanism with Executive District Officer Health office to provide services to the displaced people within the camps. The staff continued to provide counseling services to traumatized and emotionally disturbed families and twenty-two new displaced received the assistance during past two weeks.
About ten days ago, an IDP tent in the camp caught fire; resulting in loss of food and other non food items of the family, PVDP field team provided emergency response and assistance to the family.
NCA and its implementing partners regularly attended the WASH cluster and coordination meetings at the union council, district and provincial levels, jointly organized by UNICEF and the respective local government. The implementing partners have completed assessment and established community organizations and committees in their targeted villages. Also, separate women committees were formed to ensure women’s participation in the project.
Immediate Known Needs
- Shelter Kits
- Food Items
- Health and Hygiene
- Sanitation
- Water filtration plants
- Medicines
- Children’s clothing
- Cooking fuel/mechanisms including gas stoves
- Mosquito nets
- Psychosocial support, especially for young children who have lost their parents during the displacement
- Livelihood
- Transportation needs of people
- Cash inputs for trapped people (those who remained in the conflict zone)
- Needs of vulnerable IDPs
- Fire extinguishers for camps
- Cooling mechanisms
- Sphere/ HAP trainings
- IDP complaints registration / lobbying
- Sanitary Napkins for women, and girls
- Education for children
- Playground and children friendly spaces
