30/09/2016 - IOM will carry out awareness raising activities throughout the month of October to promote awareness of breast cancer among female migrants temporarily detained in Thailand.

The initiative is part of IOM’s efforts to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month across the globe.

Aimed at supporting at least 70 female migrants, the activities will centre on workshops conducted by IOM staff at six locations in Phang Nga, Ranong, Songkhla and Surat Thani provinces.

The workshops take into consideration gender sensitivities - only female staff and translators will be present to educate migrants on lifestyle-related risk factors, signs and symptoms, and the importance of early detection. They will also be taught self-examination techniques through demonstrations.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide with 1 in every 8 women developing the disease over the course of a lifetime.

The majority of deaths globally occur in low- and middle-income countries, where most women are diagnosed in the late stages largely due to a lack of awareness on early detection. An estimated 14 people die of breast cancer each day in Thailand.

“With cancer rates on the rise and migrant women often left out of awareness-raising campaigns, this timely intervention will empower the female detainees with knowledge and enable them to take responsibility for their health, ” says Amela Mujagic, IOM Thailand’s Programme Manager.  

The activities are part of health support services provided to migrants in protracted detention, including regular medical check-ups and follow-up treatment, under the project “Humanitarian Assistance for Myanmar Muslims from Rakhine State and Special At-Risk Groups in Thailand”.

The project is funded by the US Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO).

For further information please contact Amela Mujagic at IOM Thailand, Tel: +66 2 343 9355, Email: amujagic@iom.int