The visuals from Jammu and Kashmir have been chilling. A fortnight after the floods began, thousands remain stranded and in distress. They remind us of how ephemeral the world is. We live like everything will last forever-our comfort, our support system, our sense of security, even our sorrows-and then, a glimpse of visuals from a disaster zone remind us of the truth. It takes just a moment for everything to change.
We've learnt a great deal from past disasters about their different impact on men, women and transgendered persons, and about how reconstruction processes have worked to reinforce some patriarchal structures while offering an opportunity to dismantle others. For instance, where compensation is allocated only in the name of men, patriarchy in property ownership is reinforced. It's good to remember these lessons as we try and understand what help we can offer.
After the tsunami, it was reported that far more women than men lost their lives, often due to reasons like not having learnt how to swim or being hampered by their sarees which caught on branches and held them back. Demographic changes follow. Scholars have outlined the consequences of a distorted sex ratio for political and social security. We have also seen that, contrary to what one might expect, the fact that there are far fewer women than men actually spells a decline in their status. And then, in many places, having lost so many family members, women underwent operations to reverse tubal ligations with recanalisation surgery so they could have children again. Did they choose to do this or were they under pressure?
Reports from rescue and relief efforts after every recent disaster point to the issue of usable and hygienic toilets for women. Are there enough toilets in refugee camps? Are they usable and located in safe and accessible parts of the camp? In Jammu and Kashmir, thousands of women have been evacuated, among them many menstruating and pregnant women. How are they managing? When we donate clothes, are we remembering to donate (unused) underclothing, and sanitary napkins or money to buy them?
There is evidence that disasters result in increased levels of violence in society. Child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence, sexual molestation, forced marriage, child marriage, and sexual exploitation and trafficking are some forms of sexual and gender-based violence that become more common. Young people who have lost their families are especially vulnerable in such times, and require the alert care of the community around them to keep them safe. Transgendered persons have special vulnerabilities; they are unable to take shelter in homes for men, and they don't find shelter among women. Their experience of homelessness, hunger and violence is compounded because we choose not to "see" or "listen to" them.
Evidence of women's ability to strategise and handle crises abounds across all kinds of crisis situations, yet, their inclusion still entails a special effort or a special mention. For instance, in villages where many men go off to work in cities, in the face of warning signs, women manage pre-disaster preparations, cope with the crisis and handle immediate recovery on their own. Global disaster mitigation norms now reflect this agency. Swayam Shikshan Prayog offers a model for drawing and building on women's experience and talent in the reconstruction process. They have worked in several disaster-hit areas since the 1993 Latur earthquake, where they not only invest resources with local women, but also have women from other areas come help out and share their experiences. When we enter the reconstruction phase in Jammu and Kashmir, we need to remember to learn from women's experiences and to avail of their insights in planning and implementation.
Because disasters destroy means of livelihood (for instance, an entire crop before it is harvested, or grain warehouses) and the result is loss of paperwork, they often plunge families into poverty. Women should have equal access to relief and compensation; that they should be consulted during needs assessments and their views should count in planning reconstruction are now accepted norms. The reconstruction process needs to take into account getting women access to their family property, ensuring they have the means to support their families and quickly restoring disrupted educational opportunities.
Today, when we watch a disaster unfold live on television, those of us who live far from the affected areas share the trauma and grief of complete strangers, guilty and helpless that we can do nothing. Not everyone lives near a given disaster zone, and not everyone has the flexibility to pack up and travel. But there is always something that needs to be done.
When the tsunami happened in 2004, bloggers in Chennai drove down to the affected areas and reported. Post-Katrina, bloggers tracked destruction, rescue and relief, and offered a steady source of information online. With each successive disaster in the last decade, social media enthusiasts have contributed immeasurably to compiling and sharing information rapidly. One extremely simple, easy contribution we can make is to share rescue and relief numbers. It is also possible to help with maintaining lists of goods collected or shipped, or to transmit news about those rescued or still missing. There are now networks of experienced social media users who mobilise within hours of a disaster. It is not difficult to locate and connect with them, and offer help.
The old practice of giving clothes and household goods is always an option, but there are things we have learnt over the years. The first, of course, is not to give damaged or soiled goods. Because we do, someone has to spend time sorting through to remove them-a waste of relief time. Moreover, even disaster-hit people do not feel desperate enough to wear clothes you wouldn't. The second is to give mainly everyday clothes; underclothes like petticoats and slips; unused undergarments; children's clothes, particularly for adolescent girls, hard to fit at any time; and clothes appropriate to the local climate. For instance, autumn is around the corner in Jammu and Kashmir, and socks, thermal underclothing, sweatshirts and sweaters would be useful. Sanitary supplies are also always scarce. Volunteering to collect, sort and ship such material is something we could undertake, individually or collectively, in connection with any NGO working on the ground in the disaster-affected area.
The easiest contribution we can make to any cause is financial. Every donation counts, truly. It pays for a cup of tea for an overworked relief worker or for a new toilet complex-both costs are important for work to get done. Whether you contribute to a collection box or by cheque in return for a tax deduction receipt, on the ground, your gift has equal value. It is understandably our impulse to give in the rescue and relief phase, leaving the long-term reconstruction to be funded by large donors. We don't even think about the long run. I would suggest it is time to support both-to help those working on the ground, and also to show support and encouragement to those who are getting the gender justice dimension of this work right.
We talk about government resources being disaster-ready but that might also apply to civil society. How good are our social reflexes when it comes to a quick response to crises? Sustained civic engagement means that when disaster strikes, you have some idea who will reach the ground first, who could set up a collection centre locally and which NGO will use your donation well. Year-round vigilance makes both the government and the civil society's responses expeditious.
Finally, those of us who are far away are best placed to monitor how gender-sensitive the response to a disaster is. Are we reading about mobile toilets in the reports on what is being transported? What are the materials being collected? Is anyone asking about lighting in public spaces? As relief packages are announced, is anyone taking cognisance of whether they acknowledge the special needs of certain sections?
We are also best able to look at the gendered quality of reporting-are the women in the stories uniformly victims or are we also reading about their work in their communities?
Citizens have many contributions to make. Let's find the one that suits us best individually, and work on it, starting with awareness and understanding.
Swarna Rajagopalan is a political scientist and the founder of Prajnya, a non-profit centre working on peace, justice and security issues, including women's rights and violence against women. Insights in this article come from friends and colleagues who have contributed to a forthcoming anthology on gender and disasters, and its shortcomings are all her own.