Institutional Framework for Women Leadership in DRR
It is indeed an honor to talk on Hon’ble PM ten point agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction especially in view of agenda 3 “Encourage greater involvement and leadership of Women in Disaster Risk Reduction”. We all are aware that globally the number of disasters has doubled since the 1980s. Although, number of deaths from disaster is decreasing, the economic loss is on a rise year after year. Women are more vulnerable to natural disasters as gendered norms and behavior expected from women in most societies leave them with very little space to acquire skills and access resources which builds their resilience against disasters.According to data from 141 countries affected by disaster between 1981 and 2002it is observed thatdisasters lower women’s life expectancy more than men’s, Studies have also shown that disaster fatality rates are much higher for women than for men. This gendered asymmetry in vulnerability to disaster risk is rooted primarily in geographic, economic, social, educational/ informational and political power imbalances in societies. Here I would like to mention about those factors determining differentiated impact of disasters on women.
Social and economic situations: During ‘normal’ times women may have a lower social and economic standing with limited access to education and information in some societies, leading to a lack of knowledge regarding evacuation routes, facilities and other disaster risk reduction (DRR) information. This leads to an inability to appropriately react when disasters occur. Also, since men commonly hold decision-making power, women are unable to make timely decisions, which may delay their evacuation.
Gender norms: The inability to relocate to evacuation centers/points without the accompaniment of one’s husband or other male family member. Gender norms shape basic survival capabilities as well. For example, women accounted for 70–80 percent of fatalities in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, because men were taught how to swim and climb trees at young ages, while women were not.
Cultural norms: Household chores are considered primary responsibility of women. Post-disaster this burden further increases on women.Biological conditions (specific needs due to reproductive and maternal health), and the socio-political environment also add to women’s vulnerability by limiting the opportunities women have to access support services for recovery.
Due to the social setup in India women are considered prime caregivers for children and as a result of this the differentiated impact of disasters on women translates to higher vulnerabilities for children in disasters. In reality, while women’s vulnerability to disasters is often highlighted, their actual and potential roles in disaster risk reduction (DRR) have often been overlooked. Thus , there is a need to enhance Women and children skills in view of DRR so that they can better response during any disaster.
As already discussedDisaster Risk Reduction and women issues are cutting across socio-economic development sectors. Thus, making DRR gender sensitive is central to achieving sustainable development. It has been observed that Gender equality and women’s empowerment are keys to the success of all post-2015 multilateral agendas, including 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework, and all future actions on reducing climatic and disaster risk.
Presented at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 in New Delhi, PM’s Ten Pont Agenda also promotes peoples involvement in DRR. All-inclusive agenda presents a holistic approach to disaster risk management and addresses a whole range of issues, from building local capacities and initiative to use of innovative technology to encouraging greater involvement and leadership of women in disaster risk management.
Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, Plans and programmers have aimed at women’s advancement in different spheres.The National Policy on Disaster Management, 2009 envisage about role of women in disaster situation and challenges being faced by them.
National Disaster Management Plan 2019 has a new dedicated chapter on Social Inclusion (Chapter – 4) focusing on inclusiveness of DRR for more vulnerable sections including women.In different National Guidelines issued by NDMA for management of various disasters and other related issues are discussed.
From the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) onwards has been a marked shift in the approach to women’s issues from welfare to development. In recent years, the empowerment of women has been recognized as the central issue in determining the status of women. The National Commission for Women was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1990 to safeguard the rights and legal entitlements of women. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India have provided for reservation of seats in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels.So, there is adequate provisions in institutional and legal framework for mainstreaming women in DRR. However, we need to address the challenges of implementation of those provision till lower level.
In current ongoing situation of COVID 19 different class of women are facing different types of challenges like
Aggravated poverty – Poverty intensifies specially in the lower class due to lockdown as most of the daily wage earners lost their jobs. In other natural disasters like earthquake destruction of homes and communities expose them to further risk of impoverishment. It has been also seen that post disaster aids are majorly cornered by men as they constitute majority of the property owners, bank account holders, perceived heads of households and formal sector workers.
Violence - In disasters and conflicts, women sheltered in rehabilitation camps are easy targets for abduction, sexual exploitation, violence, and rape. Early and forced marriages increase due to post-disaster poverty
Infringement of Privacy - The biological needs of women to maintain privacy causes a very high level of stress among women in such living conditions, with an absolute loss of personal home space, including privacy and comfort. Under such conditions women are subjected to higher rates of culturally inappropriate exposure.
Health- Reproductive health issues and psychosocial stress are very closely associated. Post disaster trauma and stress added burden of duty and responsibility make the women more vulnerable to physical, mental and emotional stress.
Socio-cultural consequences - Burden of household chores greatly increases post-disaster as the women has to ignore her losses and assume the role of caretaker. Further added to this is the difficulty in securing energy sources, food, and water.
However on other hand it is also a matter of great pride to share that 70% of the world’s healthcare and social workers are women. In India, estimates show that qualified female healthcare workers account for almost half of the country’s health force and are among the more vulnerable groups—women account for a staggering 88.8% of trained nurses and midwives.
Women across India play a seminal role in plugging the medical supply disruptions as well. Indian self-help groups (SHGs) dominated by women have contributed towards the production of masks, sanitizers, and protective gear to meet the burgeoning demands of the health sector.Thus, gender issues must be urgently and effectively integrated into disaster research, planning, and organizational practice. Women and girls have a definite role to play in disaster relief and reconstruction activities. By enhancing women’s role with support of skill building and training we are, in fact, are making one of the most crucial resource who may support us effective disaster risk reduction. In that process we may take some of the defined initiatives like:
A.Careful identification and nurturing the capabilities of women who can be potential leaders with in the community who can address thedifferential needs of men and women in the broader development processes.Trained women can take up the task of educating other women which empower them to take part in risk reduction activities.
B.Enhancing women participation in creating community awareness, providing search and rescue training because when efforts are made to ensure culturally sensitive environment for women to learn new skills, women are willing to shed their inhibition and come forward to learn.The Uttarakhand State Disaster Rescue Force launched Mission Jagriti in 2019. It is a decentralized stakeholder focused approach to strengthen community based disaster mitigation and response with emphasis on participation of women task force. The programme consists of a combination of online training wherein there is a strong focus on imparting hands-on training. It utilizes modern methods like pre-recorded audio visuals, documentary, quiz, app, games etc along with training via demonstrations, nukkadnatak, educational videos in local languages, this doorstep approach of the programme became extremely useful in the time of COVID-19 where more than 25,000 people were trained in a matter of just 3 months, covering various departments. Training was given at COVID Care Centers and Quarantine Centers and to all the sectors or essential services that were gradually opened post/during lockdown. Zoom App based training along with awareness videos also gave de-centralized ground based training in far flung areas across the state keeping social distancing with trainees.
C.Youth networks like NYKS, NSS, NCC, Bharat Scout and Guide, Civil Defense have a fair gender balance because they comprise of a pool of young and dynamic women volunteers who strive to bring gender equity in community based disaster management .Many of these volunteer are part of the Aapda Mitra scheme of NDMA which is currently being implemented in 30There are currently 13 districts in India which have women volunteer teams. The largest team of volunteers comprising of women belong to Kolhapur, Maharashtra. There are 93 women volunteers in this team who have been trained and are addressed as 'AapdaSakhi' and have contributed immensely in saving lives in their community during the 2019 flood and even volunteered during COVID-19, by distributing food, educating the community on prevention methods for the spread of virus.
D.Women self help group may be approached in villages to initiate training programme on Disaster Risk Reduction in villages. Many of these self help groups were involved in COVID 19 preparedness response and supported District administration in various activities.According to reports in April; about 20,000 SHGs produced over 19 million masks and 100,000 liters of sanitizer all over India. Since the production is decentralized, these items have been delivered to the masses without having to undergo the logistics of transportation. SHGs have also initiated work related to the provision of rations or cooked food to poor and vulnerable families using the Vulnerability Reduction Fund or with support from state governments and the local administration.
In concluding remarks I would retaliate the fact that disasters provide a unique opportunity for development. Given the right environment women can play a dynamic role in DRR .Since these women are buddingleaders they can act as constant reserve for sustainability ofDRR programme. It is highly recommended that the women in society be assessed with a view to improving their quality of lives as well as initiating positive changes before and after disasters.
