{"id":45029,"date":"2021-06-23T18:42:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T18:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev6.blazedream.in\/ICSF\/yemaya\/asia-3"},"modified":"2022-03-30T12:47:41","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T07:17:41","slug":"asia-3","status":"publish","type":"yemaya","link":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/yemaya\/asia-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asia<\/p>\n

Women victims<\/strong><\/p>\n

Concluding comments from Oxfam Briefing Note 13 (March 2005) on <\/strong><\/em>The Tsunami’s Impact on Women<\/strong><\/p>\n

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As this briefing has demonstrated, the evidence available to date shows that the tsunami has had a greater impact on women than on men. In each of the three locations considered, the information (though partial) consistently demonstrates that many more women than men appear to have been killed in the disaster. The briefing also shows that in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, problems are already becoming apparent as a result of this disproportionate impact. Action needs to be taken now if we are to avoid short-term impacts turning into long-term problems.<\/p>\n

Generalizations about why women died are not always helpful in understanding complex and diverse processes. On the contrary, they may create an image of women as \u0093vulnerable victims. This contributes to their widespread exclusion from decisionmaking: in Aceh, for example, the structures debating the \u0093master plan for the reconstruction of the province are almost exclusively male, and women’s organizations are struggling to take part in consultation systems. Yet it is clear that the different death rates among women and men have implications for individuals and their communities, and for the relief and reconstruction response. These differences need to be more clearly understood.<\/p>\n

Consulting affected women and men at all levels is the way to ensure that what is provided is indeed what people need: whether it is formula for babies in camps in Sri Lanka, among whom mortality levels are a concern; or the underwear and sanitary protection many women ask for; or the physical design of kitchens in the resettlements in Aceh, where the wind blows out cooking fires as soon as they are lit; or the location of bathing cubicles for women nearer their homes, so that they have some privacy.<\/p>\n

Beyond the loss of life, Oxfam’s beneficiaries state that their lack of income is their biggest concern. As local fishing is a seasonal occupation, women’s livelihood activities play a critical role in maintaining the household economy. Insufficient consideration is being given to revitalizing work normally done by women, including agriculture (certain crops, in particular) and other trading and livestock-rearing activities. Loss of income and inability to access cash will not only deepen the poverty of communities, and especially women within those communities, but could also create dangers of immediate (sexual) exploitation, and forms of dependency from which women will find it hard to recover.<\/p>\n

In particular, conflict in Aceh and in the northeast of Sri Lanka has left a legacy of human rights abuses and a history of sexual and other violence against women. Reports have been received from affected areas of verbal and physical harassment and inappropriate behaviour by men in camps and settlements (while bathing, for example), and of great fears in the packed resettlement sites. In Aceh, for instance, national and international agencies are expressing concern at the physical conditions (overcrowding, lack of privacy, distance from places of origin) and their possible consequences for the safety and decorum of women who are sharing small rooms with up to four other people.<\/p>\n

Responses: small and big things that make a difference<\/strong><\/p>\n

Actions can and must be urgently taken to ensure that the needs of women and men are adequately addressed, and that the disproportionate impact on women is factored in. This is key to the recovery of communities. Responses should include the following considerations:<\/p>\n