refugee women in Chad face violence and healthcare shortages

Chad is grappling with a deepening humanitarian crisis as over 1.3 million refugees and returnees—primarily women and children—have sought shelter in a country already strained by poverty and an underfunded healthcare system. A recent assessment by a United Nations agency highlights the urgent challenges faced by displaced populations in the region.

escalating violence against women and girls

Andrew Saberton, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations agency focused on sexual and reproductive health (UNFPA), recently concluded a week-long mission to eastern Chad. His observations paint a stark picture of the dangers confronting women and girls who have fled conflict in neighboring Sudan. In locations like Abeche, Adré, and the Iridimi refugee camp—over 1,000 kilometers from the capital, N’Djamena—he documented the harsh realities these women endure.

In Adré, near the Sudanese border, Saberton visited a UNFPA-supported center where refugee women shared harrowing accounts of violence while venturing outside camps to gather firewood. The risks of harassment, assault, and sexual violence have turned this basic necessity into a perilous ordeal. “For many, collecting firewood is no longer just a chore—it’s a moment of terror,” he noted, echoing the testimonies of women in other camps.

Despite these overwhelming challenges, Saberton also witnessed the remarkable resilience of women participating in support programs. Access to psychosocial counseling, vocational training, and income-generating activities has provided a lifeline, offering hope in an otherwise dire situation.

maternal health in crisis

The situation is particularly dire in the Wadi Fira province, home to the Iridimi camp, where local health facilities struggle to cope with the constant influx of refugees. Authorities report over 333,000 refugees spread across eight camps in the region. At the camp’s health center, midwives handle up to 300 deliveries per month with minimal resources. Critical shortages of anesthetics, in particular, have forced staff to perform emergency cesareans without proper pain management—a practice Saberton condemned outright. “No woman should ever have to endure a cesarean section without anesthesia,” he stressed.

The consequences of these limitations are severe. Chad already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with approximately 860 deaths per 100,000 live births. The UNFPA’s Chad office faces a 44% reduction in funding this year compared to 2025. Of the $18.7 million requested for 2026 to sustain maternal health services and protection programs, only 2.5% has been secured so far.

Saberton also met a young survivor of obstetric fistula in Abeche. Married at just 15, she endured three days of labor without medical assistance during her first pregnancy, resulting in the death of her baby and abandonment by her husband. For nearly a decade, she lived with this debilitating condition before finally receiving treatment. “Even now, she faces relentless pressure to remarry,” Saberton revealed, underscoring the compounded vulnerabilities faced by women in such crises.

urgent call for international support

The UNFPA is sounding the alarm, urging the global community to step up its support for Chad’s refugee women and girls. “For the women and girls we met in eastern Chad, humanitarian aid translates to safe childbirth, care after violence, and a chance to survive,” Saberton concluded. Without immediate and sustained assistance, the situation risks spiraling further out of control, leaving countless lives hanging in the balance.