Coping with Natural Disasters
Women at the forefront
Climate change, the most talked about issue, is now posing a threat to livelihood, economy and social condition of Bangladesh. Climate change impact is working as a catalyst for natural disasters such as flood, river erosion, cyclone etc. It is believed that agriculture sector which employs the most number of people will be the hardest hit by climate change and natural disasters induced by it. As this sector employs a great number of women and in most cases is the only source of income for rural women, climate change will exert a very negative impact on gender dimension. According to an estimate, 70 percent of the most vulnerable humanity to environmental damage are women. The U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP) says women and girls are 14 times more likely to become victims than men and boys. In the light of this data, it is very surprising that gender equality was not paid much attention until the publication of the UNDP and IPCC report in 2007 (Rodenberg 2009: 7ff.). It is also surprising that in the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2008 of Bangladesh, women were considered only in program 9 named 'Livelihood protection of vulnerable socio-economic groups (including women)' under theme 1 'Food Security, Social Protection and Health'. Here responsible ministries are 'various line ministries, including Agriculture, Food and Disaster Management, Women's Affairs, and Health, in partnership with NGOs'. In view of the contribution of our women to agriculture sector, this is a right step. But in the other five pillars of this action plan, women were not considered in all the programs. Then with the coming to power of this government, a new cabinet review committee was formed under the Ministry of Planning. It was made in line with this government's plan for substantial eradication of poverty towards accomplishing the motto of 'Digital Bangladesh'. Women in Bangladesh have to perform multiple tasks which include domestic and income generating activities along with care giving for children and elderly. So additional activities hinder these women from participating in public spheres and make them less likely to receive critical information regarding emergency preparedness. This makes them more susceptible to hazards from climate change. According to Jean D' Cunha, regional programme director of the United Nations Fund for Women, many women died during flood in Bangladesh in 2001 because their traditional long dress (sari) and veil (burka) hindered their movement and prevented them from escaping the rising waters. Program 3 'Awareness raising and public education towards climate resilience' under theme 2 'Comprehensive Disaster Management' talks about community based disaster preparedness; has not mentioned the case of women specifically. For communicating successfully the information to women regarding disaster preparedness, a different method or tool could be developed. Cyclone shelters in Bangladesh are a major success in the case of addressing natural disasters. But these cyclone shelters also pose some threat for women as it has been seen previously that women were sexually harassed on their way to or even in those shelters. The third pillar of action 'infrastructure' mentions about this shelter in the second programme 'Repair and extension of existing cyclone shelters'. There has been a provision for redesigning of cyclone shelter and its approach roads/tracks. The cyclone shelter, when redesigned, should keep these problems in consideration and also should keep facilities for sanitation for men and women separately. During flood, most of the time women are left behind in homes for looking after the precious belongings. This makes them exposed to dirty water for a long time and also to the task of managing food by themselves. Many times, male earners of the household migrate to urban areas in search of job and this makes women to do multiple jobs at a time -- she has to look after the elderly and young children, fetch water and manage food. This increases her workload and pushes her to a state of extreme hardship. By taking all this responsibility on their shoulder, they keep themselves at the forefront in fighting the after-shock of natural disasters. At the same time, when a disaster strikes their food intake and hence nutrition level also get a blow due to the power structure within the household. Although we have provisions for including women representatives in local governance processes, women are not allowed to participate effectively or meaningfully in any decisive meetings. Add to this the lapses in good governance practices, which further suppress women's voices and they can't do anything concrete towards lessening their vulnerability. There is no doubt that women in many areas have already adapted to the consequences of climate change and are fully aware of their families' and own needs. But due to the structure inherent in the society, they are not able to express these. So our government should seek out to help these women in the time of disasters by taking into consideration all the factors that hurt women during that period. There is no doubt that women possess a strong body of traditional knowledge that is used for disaster mitigation and coping. If there is a provision of protection and financial support for women at the time of disaster, the level of suffering to women and hence people at large could largely be brought down. In this light our disaster management act can go a long way if it also pays due attention to women and keeps provision accordingly. We need to give a gender dimension to climate change and natural disasters without any further ado.
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