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Disaster must be viewed through gender lenses says gender affairs official


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Contact: Claudia Monlouis

 

Monday December 6, 2010 –  The Department of Gender Relations is recommending that certain aspects of  disaster  response planning  be viewed from gender lenses.

 

Director of the department  Miss Charms Gaspard says  when it comes to issues such as the provision of shelter for the displaced,  keeping families together, and the provision of security during times of disaster, such  issues  need  gender-specific consideration.

 

“When we talk of disaster preparedness,  one of the areas that is often overlooked is that of looking  at the gender impact and apropos disasters.  This is very  important  because what we tend to do  is  to prepare for a homogeneous group.  We plan for people – so we set up a shelter with no consideration that the people who will be housed  in the shelter are not homogeneous.”

 

Gaspard says as authorities continue to assess areas of disaster preparation which  may need strengthening, the department is optimistic that moving forward such considerations will be incorporated in  the country’s  national disaster plan.

 

“We need to consider the specific needs of women, the specific needs of men, boys and girls when we prepare our disaster mitigation processes, whether it is in management, in risk reduction and  especially in post disaster activities when we look at making provisions to better people's lives,”  Gaspard said.

 

 

  

The  department  says ignoring  gender implications may only complicate  already challenging circumstances during disasters   ENDS.

 

 

 


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