Forced internal displacement of people is a tragedy for those who experience it. It is estimated that 28.8 million people were
internally displaced as a result of international and internal armed or political conflicts at the end of 2012. The Internal
Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) estimates that a total of 6.5 million people were newly displaced in 2012, which
is a rise from 3.5 million people in 2011. Half of these displacements were observed as a result of conflicts in Syria and the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pakistan, Afghanistan and India had the highest number of reported internally
displaced persons (IDPs) in South and South-East Asia. In Pakistan, the number of IDPs was a staggering three million in
2009. This was due to the significant population movement experienced as a result of government operations against nonstate
armed groups as well as sectarian violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA) in 2008. Recent estimates from 2012 show that the numbers have stabilised in Pakistan with the return of 3.6
million IDPs to their homes in KP and FATA, yet 412,000 new IDPs were registered in the year 2012.
Pakistan's health indicators for women and children are among the worst in the world. An estimated 276 Pakistani women
die for every 100,000 live births. Approximately 65% of women in Pakistan deliver their babies at home; only 34% deliver
in a facility. The infant mortality rate is 59 per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality rate is 72 deaths per 1,000 live
births (UNICEF). Among women ages 20 to 24, 84% of births are spaced less than three years apart, contributing to the high
number of maternal and infant deaths. The indicators in KP, FATA and Balochistan are among the poorest in all provinces.
Despite the on-going armed conflict and the health related issues of IDPs in Pakistan, the efforts to stabilise conditions
continue. UNICEF has reported that in December 2012, 83,867 children were vaccinated against polio during a
supplemental National Immunisation Campaign. In 2012, 127,311 children and 55,566 pregnant and lactating women
were screened for acute malnutrition as well. Since December 2012, UNICEF has, however, been unable to completely
support maternal and child health services in IDP camps due to funding constraints.