Rohingya women in Kashmir region face growing reproductive health crisis

SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — Rohingya refugee women living in camps in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir are facing a worsening reproductive health crisis driven by poverty, poor sanitation, and limited access to menstrual hygiene products, according to testimonies from women in the community.

According to Kashmir Times, women living in the Kargil Colony settlement in Jammu’s Narwal area described widespread gynecological illnesses, untreated infections, and repeated surgeries linked to poor menstrual hygiene and lack of medical access.

The camp houses Rohingya refugee families who fled violence and persecution in Myanmar and now live in overcrowded makeshift shelters with limited healthcare and sanitation facilities.

“If you look at ten women in our community, at least eight are ill, and four have undergone operations,” said Jannat, a 35-year-old refugee woman living in the settlement. “Unhygienic menstrual practices are a major reason. Back home, we managed better, but here we struggle even to eat.”

Several women described undergoing surgery for reproductive health complications after months of untreated illness.

Aamina Khatoon, 65, said she continued to suffer after surgery because she could not afford transportation to hospitals or pay for medicines.

Another refugee woman, Rumana, said she was married at 12 and is now a mother of four children. She recently underwent surgery for a reproductive health condition that she believes worsened because of lack of awareness and inability to maintain proper menstrual hygiene.

“All this happened due to lack of awareness,” she said. “If I had somehow managed proper menstrual hygiene, the situation might have been better.”

Rumana said she did not know what sanitary pads were until she saw advertisements online and later received products during a distribution drive organized by a nongovernmental organization.

Younger women in the camp said awareness about menstrual hygiene is slowly increasing within the community, despite the absence of formal outreach programs or regular healthcare support.

“Due to lack of education, our community continues to suffer,” said Nandini, a 26-year-old refugee woman who said she now tries to educate other women in the camp. “Health should be a priority, particularly for women. Ignorance around menstrual hygiene worsens our condition.”

Women in the settlement said no female doctors regularly visit the camp and that many families cannot afford sanitary products because survival needs such as food and shelter take priority.

The issue extends beyond Rohingya refugees and also affects tribal and migrant communities across the Jammu region, particularly along the mountainous Mughal Road corridor, where poverty, social taboos, and poor healthcare access continue to shape menstrual health practices.

Shahnaza, a 29-year-old woman from a nomadic tribal community, said women often struggle to access hygiene products because medical stores are located far away and cultural norms prevent many from asking male relatives to purchase sanitary items.

“There is no privacy, medical stores are far away, and we cannot ask men to buy these products due to social taboos,” she said.

Others said economic hardship leaves little room for healthcare spending.

“We struggle to feed our children. Spending money on pads feels like a luxury,” said Kali Puniria, a migrant worker in Jammu.

Rights advocates and health workers have repeatedly warned that refugee and marginalized communities in India face severe barriers to reproductive healthcare, particularly women living in informal settlements with limited sanitation infrastructure.