After 11 years of sustained advocacy efforts, the comprehensive care protocol for victims and survivors of sexual violence was approved in the country, including the use of emergency contraception pills, which had been banned since 2009.
We celebrated this important step towards high-quality and comprehensive care for victims of sexual violence. However, significant challenges remain in its implementation. We will therefore support the process, both technically and operationally.
In Choloma, we run mobile clinics providing family planning, prenatal and postnatal consultations, and mental health support in marginalized communities. In San Pedro Sula, we work to improve access to medical and psychological health care for sex workers and the LGBTQI+ community, offering family planning, cervical cancer screening, pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention, and human papillomavirus vaccinations.
In 2022, MSF also sent mobile teams to two points on the Nicaraguan border to assist migrants making their way north to Mexico and the US, offering medical and psychological care, as well as social support.
We also responded to emergencies, including an outbreak of dengue in one of Tegucigalpa’s most densely populated neighborhoods, and in the aftermath of storm Julia in San Pedro Sula, where our team carried out fumigations, we provided mental health support, distributed hygiene kits, and conducted health promotion activities.