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GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN POST-CONFLICT AND DISASTERS

SUJATA TULADHAR 24 May 2013
The views expressed in this presentation are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology

REALITIES OF ASIA

Cyclones

Floods

Earthquakes

Drought

Internal displacement and refugees

Conflict/ social instability

DISASTERS ARE NOT GENDER BLIND

Women
90%

and Girls are disproportionately affected

percent of those killed in the 1991 cyclone in Bangladesh 80 percent of those killed in the 2004 tsunami were women and girls.
Gender

differences in disasters often linked to economic and social conditions pre-crisis

In armed conflict, sexual violence has been used as a strategic weapon of war.

Disaster situations (natural or conflict related) exacerbate existing vulnerability of women and girls to various forms of exploitation and abuse. Humanitarian response is time bound and reactionary. and post conflict situations can serve as a rare entry point for gender mainstreaming.

Disasters

Research. Rethink. Resolve.

PAKISTAN FLOODS 2010

SCALE OF CRISIS

No. of affected: 18 million

No. of affected women and children: 1.4 million No. of health facilities damaged: 236 (200 estimated destroyed)

No. of homes damaged or destroyed: 1.9 million

No. of affected needing immediate humanitarian assistance: 8 million

FORMS OF VIOLENCE (2010 FLOODS) Honour killings

Sexual Violence Psychological and emotional abuse Forced early marriage Sexual harassment in camps Gender discrimination in aid

distribution

Intimate Partner/Domestic violence

Trafficking and abduction Harmful traditional practices

CHALLENGES
Gender based violence considered a private matter Harmful traditional practices ingrained in society as part of culture No gender assessment for humanitarian response and reconstruction

Lack of data for evidence based programming and advocacy

Limited capacity in and understanding of gender mainstreaming

ENTRY POINTS
Standardised data collection tools and mechanism

District and Province level response and referral mechanism

building

Capacity

Gender sensitisation of different sectors ( Water, Hygiene and Sanitation; Health; Education; Food Security; Camp Coordination and Camp Management)
tools and Guidelines

Technical

Women Friendly Spaces

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1996

NEPAL POST CONFLICT

2006 armed conflict between Communist Party of Nepal Maoist and Government forces

13,344
21

reported casualties 1013 women

reported rape cases against CPNM

and 34 against Nepal Army

CHALLENGES

Poor gender indicators prior to the conflict

Strong womens movement but low level of participation at all levels of decision making; tokenism Culture of silence and high level of stigma associated with gender based violence

ENTRY POINTS

10

DEMOBILISATION AND REINTEGRATION OF FEMALE COMBATANTS

30% female out of 19,000 verified combatants covering multiple roles. High level of stigma attached to return and rehabilitation Integration of gender specific provisions during discharge of 4008 minors

ENTRY POINTS
WOMENS PARTICIPATION IN PEACE PROCESS
Before

11

2006, womens representation in parliament 6% Interim Parliament - 17%

2006

2008
New

Constitution Assembly 34%

Constitution in the making

National

Plan of Action on UN Security Council Resolution1325 and 1820

CONCLUSION
Processes with long term impact:
Mindset

12

shift

Understanding of GBV from a private matter to collective action

Approach

to humanitarian response from advocacy to multi-sectoral response action Womens participation from tokenism to meaningful participation

CONCLUSION
Tangible Results:
Guidelines,

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SOP, National Action Plan and tools for harmonization in development continuum settings Strengthened Capacity Foundation to build upon for future emergencies

Policy shift:
Mere humanitarian response to survivor centered humanitarian response Women as stakeholders in peace process