POLICY GAPS IN THE REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL HEALTH OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The issue of internal displacement in Nigeria has been largely ignored. They remained largely ignored both by national authorities and international organizations in spite of their growing numbers and the debilitating condition of their existence. Two major tools were used in this study- the checklist and key informant interviews. Three categories of institutions were identified as targets for the assessments- State Agencies; Line Ministries; and Civil Society Organizations. The checklist was adapted from policy project’s Policy Environment Score and FHI’s (Family Health International) Technical and Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (TOCAT) among others. The tools were used in assessing reproductive and health sexual policies as they relate to internally displaced persons (IDPs). Results show that there is a gap in policy in the reproductive health and sexual rights of these IDPs. There are so many challenges in the reproductive health of the IDPs and also in the current trend of poor reproductive health status and services. The underlying assumption is that there is a potential gap in management capacity between the sectors.