Understanding Reproductive Health in the Context of the Venezuelan Humanitarian Crisis
By: Amy Guan
From 1992 to 2013, Hugo Chavez served as the president of Venezuela and would be remembered for his efforts to reduce poverty and work for the poor. He created multiple social services, subsidies, healthcare programs, and educational programs which helped to aid the poorest sector of the society [5]. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, “The country’s poverty rate fell from roughly 50 percent in 1998, the year before [Chavez] was elected, to 30 percent in 2012, the year before his death.” However, the election of current president Nicolás Maduro Moros in 2013 reversed most progress towards reducing poverty, instigating political and economical conflicts which have left Venezuela in a dire state of destruction and a humanitarian crisis.
There is a great shortage of food and medicine among many other basic goods such as toilet paper, power, and clean water. Additionally, there have been rolling blackouts, an increasing number of violent crimes, and rising unemployment. Many Venezuelans need to wait in line for around 35 hours a month at a supermarket for the food they need to survive, only to see that the supermarket does not have food as they return home to their families with nothing in their hands [2]. The healthcare system has also taken a huge toll from the crisis. There is a lack of medical instruments and supplies for surgeries and hospitals often have non-functioning bathrooms and inadequate power causing intermittent failures during procedures in the emergency room [4].
Furthermore, there has been a lack of response from the Venezuelan government to the existing crisis. Due to the increasingly autocratic nature of Maduro’s presidency, most foreign aid to address the crisis has been rejected. Furthermore, many government officials refuse to acknowledge that there even exists a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela which impacts the daily functions and well-being of the Venezuelan people [3]. According to an interview between William Burke from the University of Pennsylvania and Alejandro Velasco from New York University on the Business Radio, “to suggest that there is a humanitarian crisis would mean complete failure in every capacity [Maduro] would have as commander of Venezuela’s economy.”
What are the impacts on the sexual and reproductive health of women?
Due to the high inflation rates, contraception access for people in Venezuela has vanished. In previous years, federal distribution programs have provided free contraceptive birth control pills and condoms at public hospitals; however the financial crisis has shaken the government’s core foundation in a way that has negatively impacted the Venezuelan people [1]. Venezuela has had high rates of teen pregnancy and the lack of contraceptives exacerbates the problem for young individuals who engage in sexual activity [8]. The lack of methods for contraception has led to an increase in adolescent pregnancies, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.
One in three people in Venezuela do not meet the ideal nutrition requirement as they do not have access to enough food [6]. As a result of higher levels of malnutrition among pregnant women and the overall condition of hospitals in Venezuela, there has been a rise in the maternal and infant mortality rate. According to the Venezuelan health ministry, “more than 750 women died during or shortly after childbirth in 2016, a 66% increase from 2015; nearly 11,500 infants died, a 30% jump.”
The limited availability and accessibility of menstrual hygiene products in Venezuela also presents serious issues for women. More specifically, women and young adolescent girls do not have access to the necessary menstrual products due to their high prices when compared to the overall salary they earn. For those earning the minimum wage, a box of sanitary towels often costs more than 25% of what they are able to earn and a box of 40 tampons could cost more than their salary accumulated over 3 months [7]. With unaffordable and inaccessible menstrual products, many girls stop going to school when they have their periods. Moreover, the lack of educational programs which inform young adolescent girls about their reproductive development has caused many to experience their first periods in fear [7].
How are the women in Venezuela managing the lack of contraceptives?
Social media has become a source of relief for many women in Venezuela. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are outlets for women to find contraceptives that are exchanged at black-market prices [9]. However, some black-market dealers have provided fake contraceptives [10]. They also tend to ask their friends and family from outside of Venezuela to bring them contraceptives.
An increasing number of women are choosing to undergo sterilization. PLAFAM, a large family planning clinic in Venezuela, has reported that there has been a 23% increase in the number of women requesting a sterilization when compared to four years ago, citing the economic crisis as one of the primary reasons for this increase [10]. Regardless, the prices of sterilization still tend to be high and unaffordable for most women in Venezuela.
With an increasing number of unintended pregnancies from not having adequate contraceptive products, other women have resorted to clandestine abortions as abortion in Venezuela is strictly reserved for circumstances where the mother’s life is at risk. The complications of unsafe abortions are immense and have become apparent as nearly 760,000 women in Latin America and the Caribbean are treated for complications to unsafe abortions [1].
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