When Gaby, 27, an indigenous Awajún woman, returned home to Mamayaque, a remote town in Peru’s Amazonas region, she noticed the violence committed by men against women and the discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people.
As a transgender woman, she too faced stigma and discrimination while living and working in Lima and other cities.
“I have been told that it was too dangerous to travel alone, but I did it for my family’s and my own well-being,” said Britney, 18, part of a mass exodus of people leaving Venezuela in search of a better future. UNFPA is supporting her and other women with services at the CEBAF centre. See more about her journey here.
Peru hosts the second-largest number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, after Colombia. COVID-19 has saturated the country’s health system, which had been facing significant resource constraints even before the pandemic. The risk of maternal death, unplanned pregnancy, unsafe abortion and gender-based violence is high. UNFPA supports health facilities to respond to the sexual and reproductive health needs of refugees and migrants and their host communities, and has been distributing dignity kits to support people in meeting their basic hygiene needs.