Grassroots responses to violence against women and girls in post-earthquake Nepal: lessons from the field

ABSTRACT

Violence against women and girls (VAWG), including sexual violence, can increase after natural disasters. This article provides evidence from Nepal, a country where progress has been made on gender equality but VAWG remains an endemic problem. Research since the earthquakes involving women activists and non-government organisations indicates the continuing challenges facing disaster response efforts to prevent VAWG and protect women. Women and girls in camps and temporary shelters feel threatened and insecure due to the risk of violence and lack of privacy. Humanitarian aid, health care, and disaster responses can challenge VAWG, and offer safe spaces for women and girls to be established. This article draws on the views of grassroots women’s activists in Nepal and shares lessons for development and humanitarian workers about steps to be taken to challenge and minimise VAWG in emergency situations.

La violencia contra mujeres y niñas (vcmn) puede aumentar después de que ocurren desastres naturales. El presente artículo examina evidencia procedente de Nepal que muestra que la vcmn continúa siendo un problema endémico, aun a pesar de los avances logrados en términos de igualdad de género. Las investigaciones en las que han estado implicadas mujeres activistas y ong indican que las respuestas posdesastres a partir de los terremotos siguen enfrentando retos en sus esfuerzos dirigidos a evitar la vcmn y proteger a las mujeres. En este sentido, las mujeres y las niñas que se encuentran en campamentos o en albergues provisionales se sienten amenazadas e inseguras debido al riesgo de violencia y a la falta de privacidad. A partir del cuestionamiento de la vcmn, la atención de salud y las respuestas a los desastres pueden impulsar el establecimiento de espacios seguros para mujeres y niñas. Este artículo se basa en las opiniones expresadas por mujeres activistas de base de Nepal y comparte aprendizajes dirigidos a trabajadores humanitarios y de desarrollo, relativos a los pasos que tendrán que darse para cuestionar y minimizar la vcmn en situaciones de emergencia.

La VEFF, y compris la violence sexuelle, peut connaître une hausse après une catastrophe naturelle. Cet article présente des données factuelles venues du Népal, un pays où des progrès ont eu lieu en matière d’égalité entre les sexes, mais la VEFF continue d’être un problème endémique. Les recherches menées depuis les tremblements de terre par des femmes activistes et des ONG indiquent les défis que doivent encore relever les efforts fournis suite à la catastrophe pour prévenir la VEFF et protéger les femmes. Les femmes et les filles au sein des camps et des abris temporaires se sentent menacées et en situation d’insécurité en raison du risque de violence et du manque d’intimité. L’aide humanitaire, les soins de santé et les interventions suite aux catastrophes peuvent contribuer à mettre en question la VEFF et à établir des espaces sûrs pour les femmes et les filles. Cet article s’inspire des points de vue des femmes activistes de la base populaire au Népal et propose des enseignements pour le développement et destinés aux travailleurs humanitaires sur les mesures à prendre pour mettre en question et réduire au minimum la VEFF dans les situations d’urgence.

KEYWORDS:

• Nepal
• earthquake
• violence against women and girls
• disaster response
• humanitarian response
• grassroots women’s activism

Notes on contributors

Kay Standing is a Reader in Gender Studies in Sociology at Liverpool John Moores University. Postal address: School of Humanities and Social Science, Liverpool John Moores University, John Foster Building, 80-98 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5UZ. Email: [email protected]

Sara Parker is a Senior Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University.

Sapana Bista is a PhD student in Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University.

Notes

1. The 14 most affected districts include Bhaktapur, Dhading, Dolakha, Gorkha, Kavrepalanchwok, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Nuwakot, Ramechhap, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchwok, Makawanpur, Sindhuli, and Okhaldhunga.

2. There is evidence from earlier South Asian natural disasters in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India (Chew and Ramdas 2005) that woman suffer higher mortality rates than men.

3. Two of the authors have several years’ engagement in gender and development research in Nepal, working with British and Nepalese institutions. Since 2006, they have been involved in a UK Government-funded Development Partnerships in Higher Education link that resulted in connections to a range of stakeholders working in the field of gender and development in Nepal (Parker et al. 2014). The third author is Sapana Bista, a PhD student in the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University whose research is focused on exploring issues surrounding disability rights and provision in Nepal.

4. The full report from the UN is available at http://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/12/substantive-equality-non-negotiable (last checked by the authors 16 June 2016).

5. More from IGWG in Nepal is available at www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/nepal/gender-task-force (last checked by the authors 19 April 2016) and IGWG reports give a good insight into the gendered experiences post-earthquake in Nepal. Issue 5 is available at www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/system/files/documents/files/gender_equality_update_no_5_-_17th_september_2015_1.pdf (last checked by the authors 7 May 2016).

6. Another recommendation was that relief distribution should be done through women’s organisations and female porter associations. While women have for several decades been a target for receiving food supplies, the issue of who actually distributes the supplies is perhaps less well-discussed. This was important to ensure pregnant and lactating women and older women, who cannot necessarily come forward in a public forum to receive food, are reached. In addition, women’s groups could be given supplies to cook on behalf of these women, to ensure that they and their dependants who are less able to process food supplies actually receive prepared food regularly. Having women distributing aid also shows women as active agents of change, and can empower women through seeing women take a lead in distributing relief to encourage women and girls to come forward and report abuse.