AYV News, May 23, 2025
Ahead of the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) joins Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health to raise awareness about prevention and treatment.
The UNFPA also encouraged women living with the condition to seek the care they deserve, adding that Obstetric Fistula is a devastating childbirth injury that results in incontinence and is associated with isolation and stigma.
The Day is observed every year on 23 May. Obstetric Fistula is a devastating childbirth injury, and a neglected public health and human rights issue. Two million women in low-resource settings have an obstetric fistula, and 100,000 more develop one every year.
Leaking urine and/or faeces and, as a result, living in desperate circumstances, only 1 in 50 ever receives treatment. The day aims to ensure access to emergency obstetric care and skilled health professionals—especially midwives—to all women to prevent and help ensure treatment for Obstetric Fistula.
Obstetric Fistula is a development and public health issue, but it’s also a human rights issue, one that grants everyone the right to health and a life of dignity. The injury can be prevented by sexual and reproductive health care, access to contraception and access to skilled birth attendants and high-quality emergency obstetric care.
With its many partners, UNFPA leads the Campaign to End Fistula, which works in more than 55 countries on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation efforts. It can be treated with reconstructive surgery, though many women and girls don’t know about treatment, can’t access it or can’t afford it.
