Even in the middle of an urgent crisis situation, women will give birth, nurse their newborns and require medical attention. Despite (or perhaps because of) the sudden loss of home, community, and livelihood options that accompany disasters, people will engage in sexual activities, many with consent but some without consent and as acts of violence. Many people will be coerced into sex against their will so as to survive. Many will be survivors of rape. The conditions that define a complex emergency (conflict, social instability, poverty and powerlessness) favour the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS and other STIs, and put women and adolescent girls in vulnerable situations.
The MISP is a series of activities focused on the sexual and reproductive health needs of populations in the early phase of a crisis. It can be implemented without a needs assessment, because there is documented evidence that it saves lives. The above checklist includes components of the MISP checklist. For more information on the MISP, MISP checklist, distance learning module on MISP, the Interagency Field Manual for Reproductive Health in Crisis Settings (or Field Manual) and IPPF facilitator’s manual for MISP training see Annex 26.5.5.