My presentation of a workshop

1. Mahnaz Afkhami
Founder and President of
Women's Learning Partnership (WLP)

2. PRACTICAL
STEPS TO
ENSURE
WOMEN’S
NEED ARE
MET AND
WOMEN
HUMAN
RIGHTS ARE
RESPECTED
& PROTECTED

3. PRESENTED
BY

4. This presentation is based on the earthquake, which
stroked in Northern Pakistan and Azad Jammu &
Kashmir in October 2005
 73,000 people died
 More than 70,000 people injured
 Around 400,000 houses damaged
 33,0000 people became homeless
 UNFPA – women affected (age 15 to 49) 80,000

5. “Women and men experience the same hardships in a
disaster”
Kofi Anan – Press Conference I Jakarta 2005
 A lot of people around the world including aid workers
believe that disaster such as earthquake in Pakistan,
affect everyone equally – and there is no need to focus on
vulnerable groups.

6.  Malnourished infants because their malnourished
mothers cannot breast feed them
 women giving birth in unsafe conditions
 widows and women headed households are
unable to access food and other aid supplies
because of the restriction of their movements
(like parda)
 Sexual abuse of women

7. Loss of family members
Loss of home – living in camps
Cultural values may even hinder women’s
rescue as males may not be allowed to touch
women and rescue them.
Access to information
Cultural and religious obligations (e.g.
women cannot see men other then her
relatives)

8.  Housing
Transportation
Income & employment
Dependant care
Physical & mental health
Violence
Access to relief resources
Full participation in disaster decision -
making

9. Move forward from ‘Gender Blindness’ to
‘Gender Sensitivity’ in helping the victims
of natural disaster.
Gender perspective is included in all
disaster management program
All relief efforts are able to address
women’s need and prevent violation of
women’s human rights

10. FUNDAMENTAL
PRINCIPLES
GENDER SENSITIVE DISASTER
MANAGMENT
EQUALITY of women and men
• Women’s rights are human rights
Non discrimination against women

11. STEPS TO BE TAKEN DURING
RELIEF WORK
 Women’s reliable and regular access to the food and
clean water
 Adequate shelter and housing
 Psycho- social consultation
 Access to gynecological services by female health
workers
 Separate toilets and bathrooms for women
 Special care of pregnant and breast feeding women
and women with young children
 Sanitary pads and under wears in relief supplies

12. Access to adequate food
 Ensure that women have easy and reliable access to food
and drinking water
 Quantity of the food should be enough for a single human
consumption
 Ensure the good quality of the food
 Basic food aid should include milk and sugar
 Breast milk substitute should be included
 Women should be consulted for necessary food items for
distribution
 Basic cooking facilities such as cooking utensils, stoves etc
must be provided
 Food distribution mechanism should respect dignity of
disaster affected women without making them fight for it and
feeling like baggers

13. Women should be include in aid/relief
team
 distribution of sanitary napkins and under
garments should be by women
 Women should distribute food to women on food
distribution points
 other relief packages should be delivered by
women
 female doctors and nurses should take care of
affected women

14. Adequate Shelter
Many cases were reported of women harassment
during their stay in camps and shelter houses.
Reasons:
 Lack of privacy
 No separate premises for women who were
left alone
 Common bathrooms and toilets

15. Adequate Shelter
 Tents should be comfortable and habitable
(as women stay inside most of the time)
 There should be adequate privacy and space
 Structure should be durable
 Roofs must not leak during rain
 Tents should not be very close to each other
 Tents need to be designed with better secure
fastenings so that it would provide a sense of
security to women.
 In tent distribution, priority should be given to
widows, women headed households
 Tents should have ventilation facility and
should have proper cooling and heating
systems

16. Adequate Toilet and Bathing
Facilities
 Access to sufficient and regular supply of water for both
drinking, cooking and personal hygiene
 water points should be located near to the camps
 Provision of separate toilet for women
 Toilets and bathrooms should be properly build to prevent
men from making peep holes
 Bathrooms and toilets should have proper locks
 Pathways to and from camp should have proper lights
 Bathrooms and toilets should not be far away from the
camps
 Private laundry areas should be available to women
 arrangements should be made for sanitary disposal of solid
waste.

18. Health Care Services
 Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
1948, access to health services should be provided to all
disaster affected people
 Pregnant women and women with young children should be
provided with free medical post natal and maternity care
 necessary vitamins and other supplements should be
provided to pregnant and lactating mothers.
 Free psycho- social counseling
 a conducive, sanitary and safe environment is set up for
childbirth purposes.
 easy access to different forms of contraception is facilitated
as soon as possible
 female health workers are included in medical teams
servicing camps and affected communities.

19. Security Measures For Women
Safety
 ‘vigilance committees are formed in the communities consisting of
women to act as monitoring officers to ensure maximum security and
safety for women
 written and verbal safety guidelines are provided to be further
developed by committees themselves against possible violations
against women and children.
 women are trained to raise immediate alarms against violations in the
camp sites.
 women police officers provide security in the camps.
 women police officers are stationed within the camps to record and
address safety complaints made by women in the camps and monitor
women’s rights violations in the camps.
 night security is maintained at camp sites.
 security guards (male and female) should be trained to be sensitive to
women’s apprehensions and problems in order to facilitate assistance
seeking by women
 Additional security measures need to be taken in camps and
communities to prevent abductions of women and girls for forced
prostitution, sex trafficking and trade in human internal organs.

20. Security and Safety of Women
 Accessible counseling services for women victims of violence and other abuses
 That free legal services are provided for women survivors of violence
 Full protection of victims of violence and witnesses from reprisals
 Accessible medical examinations on reporting of violence
 Accessible reporting procedures when violence against women is committed
 That women are made aware of their right to be free from physical, emotional and sexual
violence
 That women are made aware of the redress available when affected by violence (e.g.
court process, police complaint, medical treatment, counseling, support groups)
 That self help groups consisting of women are established within the camps to give
emotional and other forms of support to women affected by violence
 Protect Women from Violence and Abuse
 That ‘vigilant’ groups consisting of men and women are set up to respond to violent
incidents
 That police, government officials and non governmental workers take women’s
complaints of violence and harassment seriously and take measures to assist women
access redress mechanisms
 A ban on sale of alcohol within camp sites
 Improve lighting and transport facilities to and from the camp to other community
locations such as schools, bus stands, markets and shops.

21. References taken from:
Report on earthquake by Pakistan Press Foundation
ERRA – report on gender equality during disaster
GUIDELINES FOR GENDER SENSITIVE DISASTER
MANAGEMENT by (APWLD)

22. THANK YOU