Empowering Women for Disaster Risk Reduction
The Independent, 24 November 2013
Author / Source: Md. Abul Kalam Azad
Frequent disasters such as floods, cyclones, riverbank erosion, tornados, cold waves, water
loggings etc. are major challenges for building a sustainable country. These disasters are
gradually posing and intensifying disaster risks to the people living in disaster prone areas in
Bangladesh. Bangladesh leads the Top 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region based on absolute
physical exposure for floods; 5th for storms; and 8th for earthquakes (Asia Pacific Disaster
Report, 2010). During 1990-2008 the country incurred annual loss of US$2,189 million (1.8% of
annual GDP) from disasters. Thus, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has become an important
concern among the policy makers and experts. In this regard the Government of Bangladesh
sets a vision of Disaster Management as “to reduce the risk of people, especially the poor and
the disadvantaged, from the effects of natural, environmental and human induced hazards, to a
manageable and acceptable humanitarian level, and to have in place an efficient emergency
response system capable of handling large scale disasters.” (NPDM, 2010-15). The government
has also shifted the paradigm in disaster management from conventional response and relief
practice to a more comprehensive risk reduction culture. As, disasters induced risks are
multifarious and are composing with all aspects of life whereas the approaches to disaster risk
reduction strategies would be able to mitigate risks of the disaster affected people through
analyzing and practicing their capacities such as human, physical, economic, cultural capacity at
the family and community level. Thus, in the line of disaster risk reduction goal of Bangladesh
government several national and international NGOs are now playing a crucial role in
developing mitigation efforts and capacity building techniques to reduce disaster risks in
disaster prone areas. Among the techniques of capacity building and mitigation strategies in
DRR approach empowerment is one of the most prerequisites that can accelerate the initiatives
taken by the affected women during and post disaster situations as women are solely
responsible to manage almost everything of their household needs such as water collection,
managing foods and fuel wood, take care of children etc. Therefore, the focus on disaster risk
reduction can strengthen institutional capacity of government and reduce huge losses from
disasters through empowerment where women can work as a change agent to implement
those polices and plan for DRR taken by INGOs, NGOs and government organizations (GOs) at
the household and community level.
Initiatives used in DRR for empowerment
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It is also worldwide recognized that gender-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DRR) is a tool of
achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), sustainable socio-economic
development and building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters. As a result,
gender issues and development are now well addressed in NGO’s operating and facilitating
programs for empowering women and developing their capacity. INGOs, GOs, and NGOs
initiatives toward achieving MDGs include providing cattle for rearing, making shelter, building
bridge, culvert and road, building embankment, providing information, providing credit,
providing job opportunities and high-yielding agriculture seeds for crop production. Moreover,
NGOs are creating awareness and providing job opportunities among vulnerable and poor
women how to mitigate disaster risks and helping the women in stockpiling, sanitation facilities,
education, providing household utensils to make a resilient society and to reduce adverse
impacts of climatic vulnerabilities. The trainings such as tailoring, poultry keeping, cattle
rearing, fisheries cultivation, and vegetables cultivation in the homestead are also formed as a
tool of disaster risk reduction to ensure food security at the household level and community
level. Apart from these, NGOs, GOs are also training them up on weaving pati (a type of mat),
making khurma (a type of sweetmeat dry food made of flour and sugar), chanachur (dry food
made of flour), and weaving noxikatha (embroidered quilt) to involve them in income
generating activities so that they can able to support their family as per their special needs.
However, the affected women are also involved in soil digging work and in repairing and
building road during pre and post disaster to reduce community risk. They are also mitigating
their household risks induced by disasters through food processing, rearing cattle, small
business, development activities, educational program and savings. Even, over the last years,
the women are further involved in protecting violence and early marriage program and making
awareness of the people, afforestation, nutrition progrmme, and food for work program etc. As
a result, many women are now self-sufficient and the family income has increased than that in
the past in disaster prone areas in Bangladesh. They can give opinions in the family decision
making in during and post disaster risk reduction. The dignity and importance is increasing
gradually in the family which these are more important in the process of social development
and ameliorate wellbeing of vulnerable populations. Thus, mainstreaming gender perspectives
into DRR process offers new opportunities to advance gender equality in the socio-economic
development process.
The involvement of women in different disaster risk reduction activities facilitated by NGOs and
GOs have improved their livelihood pattern. In the flood affected areas it is seen that the family
poverty has reduced and income has increased. In the few years ago, sexual violence was one
of the major problems during disaster and post-disaster situation. In recent, due to increasing
participation and awareness of women at community level sexual harassment is decreasing.
The programs related to DRR are now increasing health and nutrition facilities, importance of
women in the family, freedom in choices among the women. However, due to involvement in
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DRR initiatives, women can able to add to their family income. They can take decisions in case
of important family affairs and in the same time their honor in the family has got increased. So,
empowerment can be used for social mobilization, changing women’s state of mind and gaining
access to the bases of social power.
DRR process at community and institutional level
The DRR activities are also related to the participation of women at community level and
institutional level. The disaster affected women are ensuring their participation in different
disaster risk reduction and development related committees at the community level. For
example, as a part of DRR initiatives INGOs, GOs and NGOs have formed disaster management
committee, health and nutrition committee, education committee, violence and dowry
protection committee, early marriage resistant committee in flood affected areas. The disaster
management committee consists of 12 members of whose 6 to 8 members are male and the
rest are females. The goal of the disaster management committee is to disseminate information
about disasters and preparedness and how to mitigate disaster risk pre, during and post
disaster situations while the education committee is working on to send the children to the
school who are drop out for disasters. INGOs, NGOs and GOs are helping them through building
community volunteer, making change agent, increasing awareness, encouraging the member of
the community committee, providing training for participation at community level. Moreover,
NGOs are also making the member of community committee and ensuring their participation
and making them able to give their opinions at the community and institutional level. The
female members of these committees attend regularly at the committee meeting and they put
forward their opinions there. They find out problems through learning process such as
Empowerment Knowledge and Transformative Action (EKTA) tools developed by CARE and they
take an action plan on the basis of the problems. In most cases, their opinions or views are
accepted in the meetings which are helpful for taking several steps on DRR. For example, a
flood affected woman Ismat Ara (30), Day labor, Sirajgong says, ‘I am a member of a local
school governing committee. I am called in every meeting of this committee. There in the
meeting I forward my views and opinions. And in most cases my opinions are accepted
unanimously.’
In case of decision of making in the family women are making the male understand about the
importance of the decision. Excepting these, the flood affected women are also ensuring their
participation in carrying out cashier, religious education related programs, nutrition related
activities, family planning program etc. Women also take part and observe different programs
including world women’s day, disaster preparedness day, disaster risk reduction day and other
awareness activities. These awareness activities include taking not more than one or two
children, staying away from early marriage, receiving education etc. It is seen that once upon a
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time, they were considered burden in the family earlier but now the boot is on the other foot.
For example, Rokeya Begum (45), a class five completed woman from Sirajgonj reveals, ‘I am a
member of the national steering committee on the prevention of women repression. I am
mainly engaged in activities to improve the fate of the backward people of my locality. I act as a
representative of Sirajgonj district. I also play a strong role to prevent repression on women in
the district council meeting’. It is understandable that women participation and taking steps in
disaster risk reduction are notable in policy making process as disasters affect both female and
men differently. On the other hand, women are more vulnerable due to performing their
household tasks and cultural roles in society.
Challenges and alternatives at community and institutional level
Though women are participating in different meetings and giving their views on an important
matter, the women are encountered problems and challenges in the community committee’s
meetings. The major problems are lack of proper cooperation from males, reluctance and
obstacle by family members, negative attitudes of the community people, harassment by local
leaders, children face problem to go to school due to participating at community committee
etc. However, the women who encounter several problems, they don’t dropout their
participation from the community committee. Else, they adopt different strategies to ensure
their participation and to give their opinions in the community committees. The disaster
affected women try to make understand the male partners and family members about their
importance and opinions in the community.
Thus, participation of women is schooling up at every sphere of the society where promoting
gender equality in DRR requires multi-sectoral and comprehensive approaches to develop the
society. In this regard, all stakeholders should address Gender and DRR issues through political,
social, cultural, economic, scientific and technical by following a sustainable livelihood
framework (SLF) where everyone can make a contribution and able to reduce disaster shocks.
Since, DRR completely interlink with livelihood approach, which it focuses on people and
macro-micro links. Empowerment is here seen as a strategy to strengthen the ability of
vulnerable groups and poor women living in disaster prone areas in Bangladesh to actively
exercise a decisive influence over the outcomes of development processes.
The writer is Lecturer Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies
University of Dhaka
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