International Women's Day - 2006:

Seeking accountability of women's role towards 'A New Sri Lanka'

Sepalika Nayanie SUDASINGHE

WOMEN IN DISASTER: Natural disasters are on the increase and the whole world is at risk and the death and destruction caused by them have also reached unmanageable proportions. We should not forget the fact that the natural disasters and its effects have been on the rise mostly due to human activities and consequently have increased people's vulnerability to such happening.

The massive devastation occurred in many Asian countries was the tsunami on December 26, 2005, which caused extensive devastation to human life, livelihoods, infrastructure, public and public properties, natural and man-made environment in Sri Lanka.

More than Over 30,000 people died, more than 21,000 were injured and 5,000 were missing and nearly one million were displaced. The force of the tidal waves caused widespread infrastructure devastation as well.

There have been immense environmental damages too. Among the many industries affected by the tsunami, fisheries, tourism and agriculture and livestock industries were largely damaged. This was the worst horrendous natural disaster in the island's recent known history.

This disaster clearly dashes a strong belief of the nation that Sri Lanka is a natural-disaster free country. Prior to the tsunami, flooding, storms, heavy rains and droughts were only counted as natural disasters by State authorities and local bodies.

Consequently immediate strategies and efforts had been employed to overcome these disasters by providing welfare and social services at pre and post disaster situations in a traditional manner.

Natural disasters cannot be totally avoidable and can occur anywhere at any time.

The development state of a country cannot prevent most of the natural disasters but it can only minimize the effects and the degrees of the disaster through providing accurate information to the possible victims during the pre-disaster period and through implementing necessary assistance to the affected people during the post-disaster period.

The hurricanes, which battered the wealthiest country the Typhoons in China, Storms and Floods in India and Bangladesh, are some of the recently experienced natural disasters in the world.

Therefore, the accurate measures for pre and post disaster periods should be drown to minimise the damages occurred by the possible disasters through effective and efficient disaster endeavours, which can be considered as disaster management.

In this context, implementing strategies to minimise possible damages and losses of natural disasters and to prevent the possibility of becoming vulnerable to such situations has eventually become a current necessity.

To build a disaster-resilient community has become one of the objectives in the target towards a sustainable development of many countries in the world is a positive step towards to reduce, prevent and to mitigate such calamities. In 2005, the world Disaster Reduction Awareness Campaign emphasized on reducing the risks and safety nets.

In this background it is high time for the policy and decision-makers in Sri Lanka to understand this nature. Their commitment to introduce the necessary measures to develop a proper professional disaster management system to the country has become a fundamental issue towards a social development of the country.

The recent past experience of the tsunami and the subsequent "Triple R" effort (relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation) have also clearly emphasized the necessity of introducing such a system to the country.

A proper disaster management system ensures to reduce the vulnerabilities of communities due to possible natural disasters and ultimately contributes to the socio-economic development of the country in the long run.

In order to develop such system, a community based approach and building the capacities of vulnerable communities by taking the assistants from all relevant government institutions and from other related stakeholders in the field of disaster management, in an organized manner, are fundamentally vital.

As the linkages between disaster management and sustainable development are mutually fitted well, the development of effective, people-cantered and sustainable natural disaster strategies are to be at high priority. It is important that disaster reduction is successfully incorporated into the border goal of sustainable development to enable the building of disaster-resilient communities.

On the other disasters and the consequent level of vulnerability may differ from community to community.

Gender and vulnerability come to the scene under this context. A large majority of the affected people of the tsunami in Sri Lanka were women and children. It is noticeable that women are much more vulnerable to disasters than men and children.

Some might argue for justifying their biological nature, but there could be many socio-economic factors behind this situation.

In many instances, women have less access to resources. Social networks and social influence, availability of information, training and skills (including literacy), control over land and other economic resources, personal mobility, secure housing and employment, freedom from violence and control over decision-making are some of the factors that can determine the vulnerability of the women.

In women's disaster preparedness, mitigation and rehabilitation, all causal relationships to their vulnerability should be addressed properly.

On the other hand women are often victims of the gendered division of labour.

To be continued