The aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami remains visible in Sri Lanka as reconstruction is taking more time than expected, bringing prolonged suffering to women and children. Conflict and unequal aid distribution are the primary causes. Find out what hardships women and children face amidst the sluggish rehabilitation process in the country.

Almost three years after the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami ravaged the coastlines of eleven countries and taken the lives of over 30,000 people in Sri Lanka alone, the rebuilding of the lives of millions of homeless survivors is yet to be finished. Worse, some areas have even been beset by sectarian violence.

Unequal allocation

In north eastern Sri Lanka, fighting between government forces and Tamil militants is seriously hampering the reconstruction efforts. The conflict started in December 2005, one year after the tsunami struck and after a four-year-old ceasefire. To date, it has claimed the lives of 4,500 people.

“Access to some construction sites is restricted and transportation of materials is difficult or impossible, with delegate and staff movements severely hampered—all factors which lead to delays in reaching construction targets. Projects located in frontline areas have been frozen,” the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) said in its two-year assessment report. IFRC received US$2.2 billion of aid money to construct housing units in the country.

International anti-poverty group ActionAid, in a report, said, “The situation is particularly dramatic in the conflict-affected north and east of the country, where housing reconstruction has been slower than in the south,” adding that “Not even 12 percent of fully damaged houses in the north have been completed and only around 26 percent in the east, while the figure is 86 percent for the south.”

The disparity in reconstruction efforts raised questions about unequal allocation of resources and even financial mismanagement. Government officials and even international relief agencies like IFRC, were criticised.

Vulnerable women and children

In the 2004 tsunami, the number of women who died was found to be three times higher than that of men, and it was not only because they stayed at home while their husbands worked.

“I found that the reason why more women had died in the tsunami than men…was because they cared,” Noeleen Heyzer, the former executive director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, said. “The women who died in the sea invasion had gone back to their homes to save the lives of their children, rescue their husbands, relatives and friends who were being washed away by the sea. This is why I call them the real heroines of the tsunami,” she added.

Vulnerable groups such as the women and children who have been displaced by the tsunami continue to suffer. Aside from serious threats to their safety, women and children also suffer from basic health problems arising from a lack of personal hygiene products and maternal care, which may lead to pregnancy complications. For some, especially those who have lost family members, psychological care is also much needed.

Women are also especially vulnerable because of societal expectations. They are expected to tend to the sick, the elderly, and younger members of the family. These expectations prevent them from attending to their own needs. Most of the time, they are also expected to share their food, medicines, and other supplies to their children who are usually not included in distribution lists.

Women at the forefront

Sri Lankan women’s situation, however, does not prevent them from making considerable contributions to reconstruction efforts. They are usually at the forefront of rescue and rehabilitation missions, and in temporary shelters, they are the one who feed and care for the children, even those who are not their own.

Women who have lost their husbands had to find work as well to support her family. And in some instances, they have had to learn new skills when their old means of livelihood have been eradicated by the tsunami.

Reconstruction continues

Although the Sri Lankan government is confident that the housing reconstruction would be complete by the end of this year, others are pessimistic. “At this rate of housing reconstruction, it would take at least five years to complete the housing reconstruction programme,” said local researcher Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, who carried out a countrywide survey on tsunami beneficiaries.

In the meantime, life goes on for the women of Sri Lanka. Some have even found that with the assistance they have had from aid agencies, their life is a bit better. “Now we can bargain and sell our products and get a better price,” O.G. Padmini, a coir fibre worker, said. “Our unity is stronger now than before. We have become a kind of family.”

FYI: Women and Disasters

Women are disproportionately affected by disasters, and most governments and nongovernment organisations continue to ignore this fact. According to a report by the Global Fund for Women, more women than men are killed in natural disasters worldwide. In the ensuing chaos of rescue and recovery missions, women are also at risk of violence, including battering, sexual abuse, rape, and even gang rape by security forces.  

Yifat Susskind, associate director of the international women's human rights organisation MADRE, says that when a natural disaster occurs, the mechanisms that are usually in place to prevent violence against women usually disappear. There are no family members to protect women and girls, no homes in which to hide, and there are fewer police and armed forces to dissuade would-be criminals. “We’re seeing what we always see in the wake of a disaster: Things start to unravel and people snap,” she said.

The Global Fund report added that women may also be denied adequate relief aid or compensation for their losses, especially when compensation is given only to male-headed households. Those whose husbands have died could not claim the financial support. As they are also expected to perform traditional domestic work, women continue to experience economic vulnerability, as well as a lack of necessary health care.

And despite the fact that women are at the forefront of relief efforts, they are also excluded in decision-making when it comes to rebuilding and reconstruction projects.  

The Global Fund report recommends that before, during, and after a crisis, women should be included in the planning and their input in long- and short-term reconstruction plans should be included. The physical safety of women and girls should be paramount consideration as well, and their health, education, and economic needs should be addressed.

Sources:
“As tsunami recedes, women’s risks appear” from Women's eNews, posted on July 1, 2005, <http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2137>. “Caught in the Storm: The impact of natural disasters on women” from The Global Fund for Women, posted in December 2005, <http://cohintl.org/02projects/_docs/_srilanka/disaster-report.pdf>.

Sources:
“As tsunami recedes, women’s risks appear” from Women's eNews, posted on July 1, 2005, <http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2137>.
“Asia: Tsunami recovery hit by corruption, apathy” from Inter Press Service, posted on December 27, 2006, <http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35984>.
“Charting a path out of poverty for Sri Lanka’s coir workers” from Oxfam International, posted on August 2007, <http://www.oxfam.org/en/programs/development/sasia/srilanka_coir>.
“Sri Lanka: Not all tsunami reconstruction is equal” from Inter Press Service, posted on July 26, 2007, <http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38676>.
“Sri Lanka: Tsunami recovery skewed by sectarian strife” from Inter Press Service, posted on January 3, 2007, <http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36051>.
“Tsunami relief effort seeks to reach women in Sri Lanka as violence grows” from ReliefWeb, posted on January 24, 2006, <http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LSGZ-6MGKHG?OpenDocument>.