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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