Women displaced by conflict in Maguindanao get ‘dignity kits’

DAVAO CITY — Seeking to promote women protection in a conflict situation, the Bangsamoro government and the United Nations have started distributing “dignity kits” for displaced women in Maguindanao province.

The Ministry of Social Services, a newly created agency under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said aid workers on April 12 started handing out 957 kits to displaced pregnant and lactating women in the province.

Usually not prioritized in aid distribution, the dignity kits include important items for women, such as underwear, sanitary pads, soap and shampoo.

Protection

Flashlights and whistles, which are useful for protection against aggressors, are also included in the kit.

Apart from these items, the BARMM and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) will give out food and water while the displaced, now housed in temporary shelters in the province, await their return to their communities.

The International Committee of the Red Cross Philippines, citing a government report, said at least 39,600 residents were displaced from the Salbu-Pagatin-Mamasapano-Shariff Aguak area, which is also known as SPMS box.

The displacement was triggered by a series of hostilities between government forces and fighters from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and from the Islamic State-linked Abu Turaife Group since the end of February.

45,000 displaced residents

In the entire Bangsamoro, the UNFPA estimates that there are at least 45,000 displaced residents, where more than 1,400 are pregnant with 500 of them expected to give birth soon.

According to Iori Kato, UNFPA country representative, there is a need to provide particular hygiene kits for women, especially those who are of reproductive age.

“In times of crisis, it is more important to protect the dignity, safety and reproductive health of pregnant and lactating women,” Kato said.