The Lancet
Mar 29, 2014 Volume 383 Number 9923 p1099 – 1182 e15
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

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Responding to the Syrian crisis: the needs of women and girls
Samira Sami, Holly A Williams, Sandra Krause, Monica A Onyango, Ann Burton, Barbara Tomczyk
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Women and girls are disproportionately affected by conflict because of a lack of access to essential services, as learnt from humanitarian crises in recent years.1,2 Poor access to sexual assault treatment and emergency obstetric care can contribute to negative health outcomes.1 In Syria, women and girls are strongly affected by the recent conflict and, according to the UN Population Fund, about 1•7 million women and girls might need access to reproductive health services.3 Because women often have an essential role in postconflict reconstruction, their basic needs should be met so they can emerge from this ongoing crisis as essential stakeholders in the recovery process.