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Sudan - Background
Area: 2.5 million sq. km.
Population (2007): 38.6 million
Births per 1,000: 33
Deaths per 1,000: 11
Projected Population Increase 2007-2050 (%): 34.4 million
Population Growth Rate: 2.2% (2007 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 4.5 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Literacy Rate: 61.1%
Poverty Rate: 40% (2004 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $2,400 (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: 1.6% (2001 est.)
Use of Modern Methods of Contraception By Married Women Age 15-49: 7%
Constant conflict, drought, inadequate infrastructure and limited government support have undermined Sudan’s ability to develop and provide aid to its poverty-stricken population. During the latter part of the twentieth century, the country was engaged in two protracted civil wars. These wars were centered on economic, political and social conflicts between the Arab Muslim north and the Christian black south. Unfortunately, since 2003, the separate Darfur conflict has displaced nearly 2.5 million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. The situation has been widely termed as genocide. Women’s health and well-being have been particularly endangered by this conflict, and reproductive health is currently inadequate. Only 7% of women ages 15-49 use contraceptives, and 30% of married women have an unmet need for family planning. Additionally, an estimated 90% of women undergo female genital cutting.
In the last couple of decades, the country of Sudan has experienced tremendous population growth accompanied by an increasing rate of poverty. Since 1990 the population has grown from 24.9 million to the current count of 38.6 million people, with a fertility rate of 4.5. Politically, the ethnic differences within the country have been one of the predominant sources of internal conflict, causing active warfare for the last 24 years and leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced or at risk of extreme violence.
As is typical of wartime situations, women are the most affected group and are the victims of the most violent and destructive acts. While women in the Darfur region are most directly impacted by the ongoing violence, women throughout the country continue to suffer from inequality, discrimination, and harmful cultural practices, all of which result in poor health. One particularly harmful practice is that of female circumcision, also called female genital mutilation (FGM).
Some 90%of Sudanese women and girls undergo khitan (female circumcision). The practice involves removing all or part of the external female genitalia for various cultural, religious, and non-medical reasons. This practice can result in incidences of infection, fistula, difficulty during pregnancy and childbirth, increased vulnerability to HIV and other STIs, and death. Additionally, khitan and its subsequent side effects can cause extreme psychological trauma.
