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Protecting People in Locally Led Disaster Response

Kirsty McKellar
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Protecting People in Locally Led Disaster Response

Local and international actors are often present in the wake of a natural disaster. In the Pacific, where communities have long endured cyclones, floods and tropical storms, the realities of climate change mean natural disasters will occur more often and with more severity. Understanding how protection and disaster response can be implemented efficiently and effectively is therefore a humanitarian imperative.

This paper found that international actors and local actors could work more effectively together: specifically, the report found that international terminology and approaches to protection can undermine protection outcomes; that the greatest complementarity gains between international/local actors can be made during disaster preparation; that it is important for international actors to support assessments and raise questions and ideas in prioritisation processes; that funding for protection activities is largely sourced from international donors and directed towards international actors; and that role must shift towards direct implementation of protection activities in disaster response being undertaken by national actors while international actors can and should play a central role in international advocacy and accountability.

Page 22 touches upon the on-going marginalisation of the diverse SOGIESC community in disaster planning. Specifically, discussions on funding priorities need to be held during preparation, and donors should ensure funding is earmarked for protection priorities in disaster response. This is a specific concern given the on-going unmet needs of the diverse SOGIESC community following disasters. Existing national funding mechanisms are currently inadequate to meet these unmet needs.

Page 25 emphasises the importance of including stakeholders from marginalised groups, especially sexual and gender minorities, in preparation and prioritisation. Following TC Pam in Vanuatu, transwomen were not allowed into women’s bathrooms in evacuation centres and faced sexual harassment and attempted rape in men’s bathrooms. This meant many transwomen stayed at home during and following disasters, which puts this community at specific increased risk as their homes have not been built to withstand tropical cyclones. Similarly, in the Solomon Islands, the specific needs of the diverse SOGIESC community are not discussed in any humanitarian coordination mechanisms. In Tonga, reports in the wake of disasters suggest that members of the diverse SOGIESC community felt unsafe visiting evacuation centres, especially those housed in churches. Further, Tongans with diverse SOGIESC were not recognised in protection coordination forums.

Shifting the centrality of international actors towards national actors in disaster risk reduction and response is vital. In countries like the Solomon Islands, where same-sex relations are illegal, legislation compromises protection outcomes for the diverse SOGIESC community. International actors can and should play an advocacy role in changing legislation to extend protection to all people. This advocacy work should be done in collaboration with local CSOs where possible. The shift towards national/local actor centrality must be done with a specific eye to the groups who experience marginalisation before disasters due to cultural biases and norms. These groups must be specifically consulted in all stages of the planning, prioritisation and response processes, and specific steps must be taken to ensure all individuals can access emergency services equally.

The warias of Indonesia in disaster risk reduction: the case of the 2010 Mt Merapi eruption in Indonesia

Kirsty McKellar
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The warias of Indonesia in disaster risk reduction: the case of the 2010 Mt Merapi eruption in Indonesia

This paper investigates the experiences of warias, a distinct group within the diverse SOGIESC community, in the aftermath of the 2010 eruption of Mt Merapi in Central Java. Warias, a cohesive group of people who are assigned male at birth but have adopted distinctly feminine identities, have a distinct subculture in Indonesia. While warias are in some respects an accepted social group, they continue to experience exclusion, discrimination and harassment. This extends to disaster-response efforts.

Mt Merapi erupted on 26 October 2010, blowing hot ash, lava fragment sand gas into nearby villages; the eruption continued until 4 November, at which point the volcanic flows reached 15km from the cone. Disaster plans in Indonesia, as in many countries, are made in urban centres rather than in impacted communities, meaning the response was designed far away from where it was implemented. It did not attend to the specific needs of warias. Hundreds of thousands of people were re-located to temporary emergency shelters. Warias were rendered invisible in the aftermath of the eruption. Relocation site supervisors did not know whether warias were present because intake forms offer only binary gender options. A local waria leader noted that waria preferred not to stay in temporary shelters due to (justified) fears of discrimination. Waria instead stayed with friends. Despite being made invisible in the official processes, waria were active in recovery efforts.

A local diverse SOGIESC advocacy organisation, People Like Us (PLU), visited evacuation sites that had received little attending from the government or other NGOs. Given the financial precarity of many waria, they were not able to financially contribute to these communities, but supported evacuees in other ways.

The actions of the waria community reflect two important considerations for DRR planning: the first is to ensure warias, and other members of the diverse SOGIESC community, are able to safely access temporary shelter and emergency services without the fear of discrimination or harassment; the second is to invite traditionally marginalised groups such as the waria into decision making spaces for DRR planning and relief efforts. In this instance, waria collectivised and provided much-needed services to underserved evacuees, thus promoting human rights and dignity in the wake of a devastating emergency. The waria supported the needs of evacuees despite facing neglect and social discrimination themselves.

The issues discussed in this article raise important questions around the ways in which DRR planners and responders can consider the unique needs and unique skills of people with diverse SOGIESC in the face of disasters.

Rapid Gender Analysis Tropical Cyclone Winston

Kirsty McKellar
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Rapid Gender Analysis Tropical Cyclone Winston

This rapid gender analysis looks at the impacts of TC Winston. The report first presents the socio-economic and cultural context for women in Fiji, looking at legislative environments and cultural norms that result in gender inequality. The report then moves into a discussion of the gendered impacts of TC Winston. Overall, the report found that pre-existing gender inequalities and issues such as gender based violence are expected to worsen as communities struggle to meet basic needs and experience financial stress and trauma following the cyclone. Incidents of sexual and domestic violence have been recorded following previous natural disasters, and are starting to appear in data following TC  Winston. The analysis specifically notes that women and other vulnerable groups (such as LGBT people) are at risk of engaging in sex work as a coping strategy for economic hardship.

The analysis then discusses specific WASH related concerns and how these concerns will likely play into existing gender inequality and vulnerability. The analysis then moves into discussions on the gendered impacts of TC Winston on access to WASH, shelter, food security and livelihoods.

The analysis concludes by providing recommendations for Safety and Protection Cluster experts and actors.

Post-Disaster Needs Assessment: 2018 Floods, LAO PDR

Kirsty McKellar
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Post-Disaster Needs Assessment: 2018 Floods, LAO PDR

The key findings of the post-disaster needs assessment are far-reaching. The assessment found that there are severe macroeconomic impacts, with total cost of the floods estimated at US$371 million; with significant damage to physical infrastructure and assets, and production losses in primarily agriculture, trade and transport services. Significant production losses in the private sector, and the loss of livelihoods contributing to emigration.

The report acknowledges that the floods compounded and exacerbated pre-existing inequalities faced by marginalised groups –such as overcrowded camps that lack protection for vulnerable groups. The report’s recovery strategy addresses short-term needs for women, children and people with disability. The report includes people of diverse gender identities and other marginalised groups as actors that will be able to affect Disaster Risk Management decisions in the longer-term. The report recognises Lao PDR’s lack of gender equality, and how gender-based issues are further compounded by intersections with other marginalised identities. The report notes that LGBTQI persons face discrimination within their communities and face barriers to attaining education and employment, and LGBTQI people with disabilities are further discriminated against.

The report provides detailed information on damages, losses and recovery strategies for the housing, education, health and nutrition, culture, agriculture, tourism, industry and commerce, transport, waterways, water supply and sanitation and electricity sectors. The report also identifies three cross-cutting issues: Governance, Unexploded ordnance, and Disaster risk management, environment and climate change adaptation.

The report concludes with an overview of the Disaster Recovery Framework, which compromises the following six components: Recovery Vision and Strategy Objectives, Reference to Policy Framework, Institutional Frameworks, Sector Plans, Finance and Financial Management, Implementation Arrangements.

Queer Domicide: LGBT Displacement and Home Loss in Natural Disaster Impact, Response and Recovery

Kirsty McKellar
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Queer Domicide: LGBT Displacement and Home Loss in Natural Disaster Impact, Response and Recovery

This article considers the ways social and cultural values impact experiences of LGBT people in the wake of natural disasters. The article specifically looks at houses as homes, and the site of intersections between exclusionary social and cultural values and environmental disasters: when homes are lost in natural disasters, LGBT people often lose on of the only physically safe spaces they may have had. This section also discusses the inequities within the LGBT community, noting that power and privilege and not homogeneous across the group.

The report then looks at the concerns of LGBT people in temporary shelter and housing following natural disasters, including feelings of insecurity and feat that often accompany entering into temporary shelters with strangers or discriminatory community members/family. This section presents some findings around coping mechanisms.

The article concludes with final points around the ways in which natural disasters are environmental disasters the experiences of which are shaped by social constructs; and the specific vulnerability LGBT people face as a result of exclusionary and discriminatory policies and norms. Therefore, government, non-government, emergency management, and information and communication organisations must consider LGBT populations when developing disaster response policies.

Republic of Fiji Tropical Cyclone Josie and Tropical Cyclone Keni Rapid Gender, Protection and Inclusion Analysis

Elena Robertson
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Republic of Fiji Tropical Cyclone Josie and Tropical Cyclone Keni Rapid Gender, Protection and Inclusion Analysis

The Rapid Gender Analysis found that the groups with increased risk following tropical cyclones Josie and Keni were people with disabilities, the elderly or widowed, those with chronic illnesses, children and young people (especially girls), pregnant or breastfeeding women, single mothers, female heads of households, and people from the diverse SOGIESC communities. Anecdotal evidence also showed that young girls from families struggling to recover were at increased risk of sex trafficking.

The report covers five areas of analysis: gendered roles and responsibilities; safety and protection; food security and livelihoods; WASH; and shelter.

The report includes a number of recommendations for each of the 5 categories of findings. Of particular note were the recommendation that diverse SOGIESC informants, networks and partners should be consulted to assist in the identification of specific post-disaster needs, put in place mechanisms to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse related to distributions and response activities, undertake outreach to ensure marginalised groups (such as SOGIESC communities) receive food and tools to rebuild livelihoods, and ensure distribution and post-distribution teams include members of diverse SOGIESC communities.

The Safety, Legal Protections, and Social Inclusion of LGBTQ People in Central America in 2018

Elena Robertson
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The Safety, Legal Protections, and Social Inclusion of LGBTQ People in Central America in 2018

Central America has one of the highest rates of impunity in relation to systematic violations of human rights of the LGBTQ population in the world. Extremely conservative patriarch societies in combination with hateful messages shared by churches and the media, and flailing state institutions mean that the LGBTQ community is largely unprotected by law and open to widespread violence and discrimination. This report looks at the work of various LGBTQ organisations in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

The report provides background on violence against LGBTQ communities across the region before looking at case studies on safety and security; collaboration between LGBTQ organisations and faith based organisations; legal protection frameworks and protection entities;, strategic alliances between LGBTQ organisations and groups; inclusion of marginalised groups specifically lesbians and trans women; and public education and communication. The report then moves into a needs and opportunities analysis with goals before concluding with recommendations aimed at states and non-state actors.

The Safety, Legal Protections, and Social Inclusion of LGBTQ People in the Caribbean in 2018

Elena Robertson
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The Safety, Legal Protections, and Social Inclusion of LGBTQ People in the Caribbean in 2018

This article considers the legal protection and overall safety for the LGBTQI+ community in the 16 sovereign states and 16 dependent states and territories of the Caribbean. The report found that, on the whole, the LGBTQI+ community continues to face legal, religious and social discrimination across the region. This takes the form of, especially in English-speaking countries, laws against same-sex sexual intimacy; against ‘wearing the dress of the opposite sex’ (Guyana); high rates of homelessness, unemployment, violence and discrimination against LGBTQ people across the region; religious intolerance against the LGBTQ community; but. that a growing movement for the promotion of LGBTQ rights is advocating for change across the region.

The report found that HIV prevention work has been the primary entry point for LGBTQ issues and advocacy, but that this is changing. Some activists said they were concerned that as more governments are seen to be more tolerant of LGBTQI+ issues, international funding for advocacy in this space will dry-up.

Importantly, this report considers the impacts of state sovereignty on progress and ability to create change in the LGBTQ rights space, noting that ‘legal and policy change is more likely to occur in sovereign states.’

The Economic Cost of LGBT Stigma and Discrimination in South Africa

Elena Robertson
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The Economic Cost of LGBT Stigma and Discrimination in South Africa

This paper considers the ways in which sexuality, gender and race intersect to create barriers to economic and social inclusion. Barriers for LGBT people and communities to economic and social inclusion are related to structural inequalities and social stigma that runs along a range of axes (gender, race, sexuality) within South Africa. While South Africa’s progressive landscape seemingly creates equal opportunity for many LGBT people in South Africa, there is still an alarmingly present notion of inequality within the country.

This report highlights the norms and values that privileges dominant groups (cis-gendered, heterosexual) and stigmatises others (LGBT, people of colour), and the effect this has on living and working conditions. There is a deep exploration of the stigma and structural racism that runs deeply throughout governmental and institutional policies, as well as through interpersonal dynamics that influence exposure to increased violence, sexual assault, bullying and access to resources. There are two key primary data sources used to explore the how LGBT people are structurally excluded from social and economic activities, firstly the 2015 and 2016 South African Social Attitudes Survey, and secondly the 2011 South African Census. These sources provide an overall snapshot of the inclusiveness/exclusion of LGBT people within the socioeconomic and health sphere. Lastly, the paper calculates an estimate of the economic costs of stigmatisation and discrimination towards LGBTI and gender non-conforming people. This provides a clear-cut image of the effects stigmatisation and discrimination at all levels has on South Africa’s economy.

Surveying Nepal’s Sexual and Gender Minorities: An Inclusive Approach

Elena Robertson
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Surveying Nepal’s Sexual and Gender Minorities: An Inclusive Approach

This report presents the findings of a study implemented by Blue Diamond Society and The Williams Institute which investigated the experiences and realities of sexual and gender minorities in Nepal. The study draws upon a large-scale survey conducted in the fall of 2013.

The report presents the survey design and research methodology followed by a demographic overview of the sample with specific attention to gender identity, sexual behaviours and attraction. The report then considers how the 2011 law recognising third gender groups has or has not impacted the lives of survey respondents. These experiences are then analysed within a socio-economic framework.

Finally, respondents’ experiences of discrimination and with HIV are presented. The project and resulting report demonstrates that capturing and representing diversity and nuance of sexual and gender diversity is indeed possible.

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