March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD). It’s a day to celebrate the achievements of women and to highlight the ongoing struggle in achieving equal rights for women across the globe.
The theme of the United Nations’ observance of #IWD2019 is particularly resonant at RMS: “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change.” Given the discriminatory impact from catastrophes, where the vulnerable in society suffer the most, this theme is especially relevant to our mission to increase resilience to disasters.
Natural disasters have disproportionately killed women and girls. Cyclone Gorky, which hit Bangladesh in 1991, caused 140,000 deaths. The gender fatality ratio in this event was approximately 14:1. In other words, this cyclone killed 14 women for every man. Similarly, in the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, 70 percent of the 250,000 fatalities were women.
What causes this differential in death rates? Why is a woman more likely to die in a disaster than a man?
One candidate answer is simple: women’s relative unwillingness to evacuate or seek appropriate shelter. Believing that shelters will not accommodate for their cultural needs or religious beliefs, women remain at home.
Not being able to swim is another probable cause of the differential. In some cultures, women are hampered by the lack of equal access to swimming lessons. In others, their ability to swim is hindered by traditional dress.
Of course, the death rate attributable to a disaster is only one metric by which to measure the disadvantage faced by female populations. Even if they survive an event, women and girls are at greater risk than their male counterparts from post-disaster violence and exploitation. The 2010 Haiti earthquake offers an extreme example of this, with many reports of armed gangs targeting women and girls in displacement camps.
What is being done to reduce the disproportionate vulnerability that women face during and post-disasters? And is it working?
Legally-Binding and Gender-Responsive
Four years ago, the United Nations adopted the Sendai Framework. A legally-binding agreement between 193 sovereign states, it aims to substantially reduce the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental impacts from disasters.
Remarkably, it is the first UN Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) framework to explicitly include a gendered perspective. Indeed, the Sendai Framework couldn’t be clearer. “Women are critical to effectively managing disaster risk” and their participation is essential in “designing, resourcing and implementing gender-sensitive disaster risk reduction policies, plans and programs.”
The inclusion of gender-mainstreaming in DRR is an important development. It signals a broad realization that both gender-sensitive analysis of disaster impacts and the preparation of gender-responsive actions are critical to reducing disaster risk for all members of society.
But what does this realization mean in practice? How should we modify our approaches to ensure that the female voice is heard, that the role of women as providers of food, water and energy for their families is considered and women’s unique insight into the provision and maintenance of collective resources for the whole community is fully harnessed?
The key here is a consistent approach to the collection of gender-disaggregated data. Without it, the risks faced by both women and men during and after natural hazards cannot be fully understood. Without it, attempts to build gender-sensitive policies for resilience and preparedness will be hamstrung.
The good news is that efforts to collect and analyze gender-disaggregated data are increasing. However, through this very process, the complexity in attributing gender-differentiated vulnerability is becoming more apparent.
As noted earlier, experiences during disasters are highly localized and event specific. They are dependent not only on cultural, economic and political circumstances, but also the time of day or season during which the event occurs. This makes it very difficult to assess whether actions and investments designed to improve equality and reduce disaster risk for all members of a society are having the intended outcomes.
In the absence of comprehensive data, scientists often turn to models to help fill in the gaps.
Catastrophe models have been used to estimate risk from natural hazards for 30 years. At RMS, we have begun to innovate towards a new application of catastrophe models. We have begun to use cat models to augment understanding of gender-differentiated vulnerability.
Complexities remain, of course. However, by consistently applying gender-disaggregated vulnerability data we are addressing this knowledge gap; we are reducing gender inequality in disaster risk for the benefit of all.
Nicola is a hazard specialist who leads the development of coastal flood models focusing on Asia and Europe. Since joining RMS in 2015, she has worked on various RMS typhoon models including Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and most recently led the development of the RiskLink v18 Philippines Typhoon coastal flood hazard module. Her current work focuses on coastal flood risk in European windstorm.
Prior to RMS, Nicola worked for five years as a Research Scientist for the National Centre for Earth Observation at the University of Reading, investigating decadal climate prediction and ocean eddies.
Nicola graduated with a master’s in Chemical Physics from the University of Bristol and holds a PhD in Physical Oceanography from Imperial College, London.
Machi 8 ni Siku ya Kimataifa ya Wanawake (IWD). Ni siku ya kusherehekea mafanikio ya wanawake na kuangazia mapambano yanayoendelea katika kufikia haki sawa kwa wanawake ulimwenguni kote. "Mtazamo wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa #IWD2019 unaonekana kuwa muhimu sana katika RMS: ""Hesabu sawa, Jenga Smart, Innovate kwa Mabadiliko"" - Kwa kuzingatia athari za ubaguzi kutoka kwa maafa, ambapo watu walio hatarini katika jamii wanateseka zaidi, mandhari hii ni muhimu hasa kwa utume wetu wa kuongeza upinzani kwa majanga." Misiba ya asili imewaua wanawake na wasichana kwa kiasi kikubwa zaidi. Kimbunga cha Gorky kilichotokea Bangladesh mwaka 1991 kilisababisha vifo vya watu 140,000. Uwiano wa vifo vya jinsia katika tukio hili ulikuwa karibu 14: 1. Kwa mfano, kwa kila mtu aliyekufa kutokana na kimbunga hicho, wanawake 14 waliuawa. Katika tsunami ya 2004 katika Bahari ya Hindi, asilimia 70 ya watu 250,000 waliokufa walikuwa wanawake. Ni nini kisababishia tofauti hiyo katika viwango vya vifo? Kwa nini wanawake wana uwezekano mkubwa zaidi wa kufa katika misiba kuliko wanaume? Jibu moja linalowezekana ni rahisi: ukosefu wa utayari wa wanawake wa kuhamia au kutafuta makao yanayofaa. Kwa kuamini kwamba makao ya makazi hayatakidhi mahitaji yao ya kitamaduni au itikadi zao za kidini, wanawake hubaki nyumbani. Kutokuwa na uwezo wa kuogelea ni kisababishi kingine kinachowezekana cha tofauti hiyo. Katika tamaduni fulani, wanawake huzuiliwa na ukosefu wa usawa wa kupata masomo ya kuogelea. Katika maeneo mengine, uwezo wao wa kuogelea unazuiwa na mavazi ya kitamaduni. Kwa kweli, kiwango cha vifo vinavyoweza kuhusishwa na msiba ni kipimo kimoja tu cha kupima hasara inayokabiliwa na idadi ya wanawake. Hata kama wanaokoka tukio, wanawake na wasichana wako katika hatari kubwa kuliko wenzao wa kiume kutokana na vurugu na unyonyaji baada ya msiba. Tetemeko la ardhi nchini Haiti lilitokea mwaka 2010 na ripoti nyingi za magenge ya silaha kuwapiga wanawake na wasichana katika kambi za wakimbizi. Ni nini kinachotendwa ili kupunguza hatari kubwa ambayo wanawake wanakabili wakati na baada ya misiba? Na je, inafanya kazi? Mkataba wa Sendai unaojumuisha sheria na kanuni za kijinsia na utunzaji wa haki za binadamu ulikubaliwa na Umoja wa Mataifa mnamo Juni mwaka jana. Mkataba huo unajumuisha mataifa 193 yenye uhuru wa kisheria na unakusudia kupunguza athari za kiuchumi, kimwili, kijamii, kitamaduni na mazingira zinazosababishwa na misiba. Kwa kushangaza, ni mfumo wa kwanza wa UN wa Kupunguza Hatari za Msiba (DRR) kujumuisha wazi mtazamo wa kijinsia. Kwa kweli, Mfumo wa Sendai hauwezi kuwa wazi zaidi. "Wanawake ni muhimu kwa ufanisi wa usimamizi wa hatari ya majanga" na ushiriki wao ni muhimu katika "kuunda, rasilimali na kutekeleza jinsia-hisia ya kupunguza hatari ya majanga sera, mipango na programu". "Hii inaonyesha utambuzi wa jumla kwamba uchambuzi wa athari za maafa unaohusiana na jinsia na maandalizi ya hatua zinazohusiana na jinsia ni muhimu kwa kupunguza hatari ya maafa kwa wanachama wote wa jamii. """ Lakini utambuzi huo unamaanisha nini katika mazoezi? """Tunapaswa kubadilisha mbinu zetu ili kuhakikisha sauti ya wanawake inasikika, kwamba jukumu la wanawake kama watoaji wa chakula, maji na nishati kwa familia zao linafikiriwa na ufahamu wa kipekee wa wanawake katika utoaji na utunzaji wa rasilimali za pamoja kwa jamii nzima unatumika kikamilifu." Ufunguo hapa ni mbinu thabiti ya kukusanya data iliyogawanywa kwa jinsia. Bila hiyo, hatari zinazokabili wanawake na wanaume wakati na baada ya hatari za asili haziwezi kueleweka kikamili. Bila hiyo, majaribio ya kujenga sera za kuhisi jinsia kwa ajili ya uthabiti na utayari yatazuiwa. Habari njema ni kwamba jitihada za kukusanya na kuchanganua data zilizotawanywa kulingana na jinsia zinaongezeka. Hata hivyo, kupitia mchakato huu, utata katika kuhusisha unyenyekevu wa jinsia tofauti unakuwa dhahiri zaidi. Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo awali, uzoefu wakati wa majanga ni wa mahali na tukio maalum. Hizi zinategemea hali za kitamaduni, kiuchumi na kisiasa, na pia wakati wa siku au msimu ambapo tukio hilo hutokea. Hii inafanya kuwa vigumu sana kutathmini kama vitendo na uwekezaji iliyoundwa kuboresha usawa na kupunguza hatari ya majanga kwa wanachama wote wa jamii ni kuwa na matokeo yaliyokusudiwa. Kwa kukosa habari kamili, mara nyingi wanasayansi hutumia mifano ili kusaidia kujaza mapungufu. Mifano ya maafa ya asili imekuwa ikitumiwa kwa miaka 30 na inaonyesha hatari ya hatari za asili. Katika RMS, tumeanza kubuni kwa ajili ya matumizi mapya ya mifano ya maafa. Tumeanza kutumia mifano ya paka ili kuongeza uelewa wa udhaifu wa jinsia tofauti. Bila shaka, kuna matatizo mengine. Hata hivyo, kwa kutumia kwa uthabiti data ya udhaifu iliyogawanywa kwa jinsia, tunashughulikia pengo hili la maarifa; tunapunguza ukosefu wa usawa wa jinsia katika hatari ya maafa kwa faida ya wote. Nicola ni mtaalamu wa hatari ambaye anaongoza maendeleo ya mifano ya mafuriko ya pwani inayozingatia Asia na Ulaya. Tangu kujiunga na RMS mnamo 2015, amefanya kazi kwenye mifano mbalimbali ya vimbunga vya RMS, ikiwa ni pamoja na Taiwan, Korea Kusini, Japan na hivi karibuni aliongoza maendeleo ya RiskLink v18 Philippines Typhoon Coastal Flood Hazard Module. Kazi yake ya sasa inazingatia hatari ya mafuriko ya pwani katika dhoruba ya upepo ya Ulaya. Kabla ya RMS, Nicola alifanya kazi kwa miaka mitano kama mwanasayansi wa utafiti kwa Kituo cha Taifa cha Uchunguzi wa Dunia katika Chuo Kikuu cha Reading, akichunguza utabiri wa hali ya hewa ya miongo na mafuriko ya bahari. Nicola alihitimu na shahada ya uzamili katika Fizikia ya Kemikali kutoka Chuo Kikuu cha Bristol na ana PhD katika Oceanography ya Kimwili kutoka Chuo Kikuu cha Imperial, London.