Gender, disasters and conflicts

Ranjani and Mercy

Objectives

• To reflect on the range of disasters and conflicts and reasons for the same

• To reflect on the gender and socially differentiated impact of disasters and conflicts

• To reflect on the sex, gender and socially differentiated needs and interests at different stages

• To reflect on ways to strengthen sensitivity of our own organizations work on disasters and conflicts

Disasters

Important terms

• Emergencies• Disasters• Disaster risk reduction • Disaster response • Disaster recovery

• Human made or natural or both• Nature of disasters

Exercise 1: gender issues in disasters

• Hypothetical situations/case studies

Questions

• How far are the women and men likely to have access to early warning systems and be prepared for the disaster?

• What is the likely impact of disaster on women and men in the hypothetical situation/case study?

• What is the likely access of the women and men concerned to response and recovery in the hypothetical situation/case study? To participation?

Gender issues in disaster situations

• Disaster preparedness measures often do not reach women, marginalized men and transgender people

• Disasters have worse impact – e.g death-on above groups

• The above groups have lesser access to response and recovery measures

• The above groups face greater assault on their bodily integrity

Gender issues in disaster situations

• The above groups are less represented in leadership positions and exercise leadership

• The needs and interests of the above groups are not taken into account in preparedness, response, recovery

• The above groups face greater increase in their work load

Reasons: Sex or gender?

• Sex

• Gender

• Combination

Reasons continued

Individual identity

Household identity

Communityidentity

Habitat location

Reasons continued

Pre existing norms

Gender blind/neutral policies in pre-

disaster contexts

Gender blind /neutral disaster policies and

law

Two forms of unequal access

• Exclusion :e.g. denied housing

• Unwanted inclusion: e.g. girl child labour

May strengthen pre existing biases or lead to new ones

A word of caution

• Though women and girls bear a disproportionate burden of disasters, men and boys are also affected in gender specific ways

Exercise 2: Gender differentiated needs and interests

Disaster risk reductionResponse and recovery • Food & Non food items • Nutrition and child care, health• WATSAN• Shelter• Education• Livelihood• Violence • participation

Conflict

Important terms

• Conflict• Conflict prevention • Conflict recovery• Disarmament• Demobilization• Reintegration

Different types of conflict

• Where armed groups are conservative for women

• Where armed groups are progressive

• Neither conservative nor progressive but are struggling for autonomy of a particular area or people.

Gender issues in conflict

• Hypothetical situations/case studies

Gender issues before conflict

• More men than women mobilized as soldiers

• If refused to join they are called as transgender or women

Other Gender issues during conflict

• Men and women involved in different ways in conflict situations

• High rates of sexual violence• Increase in number of women headed

households• Women relatives of men involved in armed

conflict enter new roles• Huge displacement- gender issues in response

stage of disasters applies here

Gender issues in post conflict

• Privacy for women in disarmament• Special needs of women, transgender people

in demobilization ignored• Women have lesser access to recovery• Women, marginalized men and transgender

people less found in peace committees• Women face greater problems in reintegration• Women get pushed back into traditional roles

Gender issues in post conflict

• Getting justice in case of sexual violence is difficult

• Less emphasis on involving women in electoral process

• Less participation of women in peace committees

Various guidelines

• IASC, 2006 women, girls, boys and men: different needs equal opportunity gender handbook in humanitarian action

• IASC, 2005, guidelines for gender based violence interventions in humanitarian settings

• Inter-agency working group on Reproductive health in crisis, 2010

• UNDP, 2003 Gender approaches in conflict and post conflict situations

• UN security council resolution 1325

IASC: women, girls, boys and men: different needs equal opportunity

• Multi sectors- registering, site selection additions • Gender based violence as cross cutting in each• Analysis, design, access, participation, training

capacity building, targeted action based on analysis, monitoring and evaluation, coordination

• No focus on DRR, or distinction between response and recovery. Similarly no distinction between different stages of conflict

• Transgender missing

IASC, 2005, guidelines for gender based violence interventions in humanitarian settings

• Various sectors• Coordination, human resources, protection,• Emergency preparedness, minimum

prevention and response and comprehensive prevention and response

• Transgender missing• More applicable to disasters than conflicts

MISP for RH Fact sheet

• Investing in responsibility for coordination of RH work

• Prevention of sexual violence• Reduce the transmission of HIV• Prevent excess maternal and neo natal

mortality• Focuses mainly on response stage• No reference to transgender people

UN resolution 1325

• Representation of women in decision making• Govt. to appoint more women as special envoys• Expand the role of women in UN field based operations• Gender perspective in repatriation, resettlement and

rehabilitation, • Gender perspective in peace keeping operations and all

field operations• Gender training and HIV/AIDS awareness training for army• Measures against gender based violence, and put an end

to impunity and prosecute those responsible

Overall

• While there are several important guidelines, not all stakeholders aware of the same

• Operationalized to varying degrees in countries due to above as well as constraints of funds, co-ordination and socio economic and political contexts

• NGOs can use only UN Resolution 1325 to hold governments to account

• Transgender issues are not well integrated.