02-23-2006, 05:21 AM
PAKISTAN:
Veiled but Women More Visible After Quake
Zofeen Ebrahim
ABBOTABAD, Feb 21 (IPS) - On a bitter cold afternoon, late January, about 600 women, quite a few with eyes barely showing through veils, trooped into a huge marquee to make their feelings known about the poor progress of rehabilitation after the devastating Oct. 8 earthquake.
They were attending a 'people's assembly' organised by the Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation, an non-government organisation (NGO) that has been working with rural communities in the Mansehra division of the North West Frontier Province.
Some clamoured for shelter and food rations while others pointed to the need for female doctors and gynaecologists and girls' schools in their villages. There were also many who did not like the design of the homes being planned and said so. But all of them demanded to be consulted.
Their mood belied the predicament they were in. Even the squally weather failed to dampen their zest. ''Who would've thought that these rural women, normally perceived as submissive, would be so feisty!'' said Rashida Dahod, a programme advisor with the foundation, who has worked in these parts ever since the catastrophe took place.
''The idea was to expand the political space of the marginalised so that they are able to effectively engage with the state,'' explained Dohad. Since the success of that first assembly, the foundation has held others with similar results.
''We wanted to provide the women a platform to share views, hopes, and fears about reconstruction of homes, of rebuilding health and education facilities, and of achieving livelihood security,'' said Dohad.
The quake mostly affected northern Pakistan, close to the borders of Afghanistan, where religion and custom demand that women remain behind the purdah (veil) and defer all decisions to their menfolk.
But, since the quake, women have become more visible than ever before--even if the fears and aspirations they express remain largely unattended.
Four months after the 7.8 Richter earthquake, that killed over 80,000 people in the northern parts of Pakistan and rendered an estimated 2.5 million homeless, aid remains short despite an enormous effort by both the government and international relief agencies.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the foundation began some measure of disaster mitigation. Its volunteers organised villagers in groups and started setting up serais (temporary shelters) providing a complete package of relief including shelter, food, and other essentials, right at the doorstep of the affected people.
This meant no displacement, greater security for women, ability to continue agricultural activity, better access to water and sanitation facilities, ability to guard household possessions, harvest and tend to livestock and begin reconstruction and planning. This and the ability to participate in village level rehabilitation and greater community solidarity and cohesion generated greater demand for more such serais.
By the end of Nov. 2005, the foundation had set up serais in 36 villages in three districts serving more than 6,100 households (nearly 50,000 population).
<b>
The women may be the poorest of the poor in Pakistan, but they showed, during these gatherings, that they were not ready to remain voiceless any more. ''This is our chance to speak out. We may live in villages but we, too, are Pakistanis,'' said Zarina, a bubbly woman in her 30s.
With their menfolk migrating to urban centres to find jobs, women have, for years, been quietly heading households. ''They were shouldering the responsibility of managing homes, even before the earthquake. The main source of local income is livestock, which women have traditionally managed,'' explained Dohad.</b>
With men returning to their respective workplaces in the urban centres, the responsibility of reconstruction too will be borne largely by women.
A prime concern has been accessing the Rs 175,000 (3,000 US dollars) per household being given out. ''We have heard about the government's package for home reconstruction, but are not sure if we will get it,'' said a weatherbeaten Hukumdad, in her forties, from a village called Sirla.
Many expressed discontent over the compensation with the cost of labour and transportation having skyrocketed. ''The money is not enough for reconstructing our homes. Earlier, labour charges per day were Rs.200 (3.5 dollars) but now these have gone up to Rs 500-600 (8-9 dollars),'' said Madiha from Buruj village.
However, the foundation's report states otherwise: ''Though inadequate, some genuinely affected households have confirmed receipt of this amount. Many undeserving households have also reportedly benefited from this compensation. Anecdotal evidence indicates that the distribution of compensation for death, Rs.100,000 (1,600 dollars ), is ineffective and plagued with corruption.''
Others questioned the mechanism of giving the amount to the male heads of households. ''We have an equal right to this compensation package,'' muttered many, having gathered enough courage.
''The earthquake has left deep crevices in our land, it is not fit for reconstruction, where will we go?'' was the anxious comment of a participant. ''We are tenants, what will happen to us?'' worried another. They suggested that the government should allocate plots to affected households.
''The government's package is quite frankly gender-blind. Its mention of women is in relation to widows and they are bracketed with orphans and the disabled. But all women are not widows!'' said Dohad.
The foundation has suggested to Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority to disburse the house-rebuilding package in a joint bank account of the male and female heads of household. Policy initiatives such as this can bring a huge difference in the status of women at the household level, and ensure that the government's stated objective to âbuild back better' is met.
While there was general unanimity over following building codes for safe reconstruction, quite a number of women lamented that the pre-fabricated models neither met with their traditions nor respected their privacy.
''We need a design that respects our privacy and purdah,'' has been a common refrain.
Many young girls attending the people's assemblies spoke passionately about their right to education. ''Are girls less important than boys? If we are equal then why is our education not given due importance?'' asked Aasiya from village Sihali.
''Our pleas to reconstruct our dilapidated school building were simply ignored. Who will be held responsible for the deaths of students if it caves in?'' questioned Rabya, a student of the Garhi Habibullah Girls' School where more than 200 girls were buried alive. Rabya herself was trapped under falling debris for more than two hours before she was rescued.
Dohad sees here ''a real opportunity to change traditional power relations which can bring a lasting change.''
''Reconstruction must not only rebuild, but must also significantly improve conditions in devastated rural areas, reducing the vulnerability of the rural poor,'' said Ali Asghar Khan, the chairperson of the foundation. He urged the government and other development partners to listen to the voices of the affected, particularly the women and the poor.
''It's easier said than done,'' says a skeptical Dorothy Blane, country director of âConcern', an Irish NGO, that is involved in rehabilitation work in the frontier province and intends taking the community mobilisation approach by encouraging formation of both male and female groups.
<b>
''Even if the groups form, it is a still a big jump for women to feel free to raise their voices, and a bigger one for them to be heard. When you consider how little changed even in dire circumstances, with injured women refusing to accept treatment from male doctors even with their husband's permission, I am not totally convinced that it will be seen by all the women themselves as an opportunity to bring about positive change....but we, as NGOs, need to support those that do,'' Blane said. (END/2006)
</b>
Veiled but Women More Visible After Quake
Zofeen Ebrahim
ABBOTABAD, Feb 21 (IPS) - On a bitter cold afternoon, late January, about 600 women, quite a few with eyes barely showing through veils, trooped into a huge marquee to make their feelings known about the poor progress of rehabilitation after the devastating Oct. 8 earthquake.
They were attending a 'people's assembly' organised by the Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation, an non-government organisation (NGO) that has been working with rural communities in the Mansehra division of the North West Frontier Province.
Some clamoured for shelter and food rations while others pointed to the need for female doctors and gynaecologists and girls' schools in their villages. There were also many who did not like the design of the homes being planned and said so. But all of them demanded to be consulted.
Their mood belied the predicament they were in. Even the squally weather failed to dampen their zest. ''Who would've thought that these rural women, normally perceived as submissive, would be so feisty!'' said Rashida Dahod, a programme advisor with the foundation, who has worked in these parts ever since the catastrophe took place.
''The idea was to expand the political space of the marginalised so that they are able to effectively engage with the state,'' explained Dohad. Since the success of that first assembly, the foundation has held others with similar results.
''We wanted to provide the women a platform to share views, hopes, and fears about reconstruction of homes, of rebuilding health and education facilities, and of achieving livelihood security,'' said Dohad.
The quake mostly affected northern Pakistan, close to the borders of Afghanistan, where religion and custom demand that women remain behind the purdah (veil) and defer all decisions to their menfolk.
But, since the quake, women have become more visible than ever before--even if the fears and aspirations they express remain largely unattended.
Four months after the 7.8 Richter earthquake, that killed over 80,000 people in the northern parts of Pakistan and rendered an estimated 2.5 million homeless, aid remains short despite an enormous effort by both the government and international relief agencies.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the foundation began some measure of disaster mitigation. Its volunteers organised villagers in groups and started setting up serais (temporary shelters) providing a complete package of relief including shelter, food, and other essentials, right at the doorstep of the affected people.
This meant no displacement, greater security for women, ability to continue agricultural activity, better access to water and sanitation facilities, ability to guard household possessions, harvest and tend to livestock and begin reconstruction and planning. This and the ability to participate in village level rehabilitation and greater community solidarity and cohesion generated greater demand for more such serais.
By the end of Nov. 2005, the foundation had set up serais in 36 villages in three districts serving more than 6,100 households (nearly 50,000 population).
<b>
The women may be the poorest of the poor in Pakistan, but they showed, during these gatherings, that they were not ready to remain voiceless any more. ''This is our chance to speak out. We may live in villages but we, too, are Pakistanis,'' said Zarina, a bubbly woman in her 30s.
With their menfolk migrating to urban centres to find jobs, women have, for years, been quietly heading households. ''They were shouldering the responsibility of managing homes, even before the earthquake. The main source of local income is livestock, which women have traditionally managed,'' explained Dohad.</b>
With men returning to their respective workplaces in the urban centres, the responsibility of reconstruction too will be borne largely by women.
A prime concern has been accessing the Rs 175,000 (3,000 US dollars) per household being given out. ''We have heard about the government's package for home reconstruction, but are not sure if we will get it,'' said a weatherbeaten Hukumdad, in her forties, from a village called Sirla.
Many expressed discontent over the compensation with the cost of labour and transportation having skyrocketed. ''The money is not enough for reconstructing our homes. Earlier, labour charges per day were Rs.200 (3.5 dollars) but now these have gone up to Rs 500-600 (8-9 dollars),'' said Madiha from Buruj village.
However, the foundation's report states otherwise: ''Though inadequate, some genuinely affected households have confirmed receipt of this amount. Many undeserving households have also reportedly benefited from this compensation. Anecdotal evidence indicates that the distribution of compensation for death, Rs.100,000 (1,600 dollars ), is ineffective and plagued with corruption.''
Others questioned the mechanism of giving the amount to the male heads of households. ''We have an equal right to this compensation package,'' muttered many, having gathered enough courage.
''The earthquake has left deep crevices in our land, it is not fit for reconstruction, where will we go?'' was the anxious comment of a participant. ''We are tenants, what will happen to us?'' worried another. They suggested that the government should allocate plots to affected households.
''The government's package is quite frankly gender-blind. Its mention of women is in relation to widows and they are bracketed with orphans and the disabled. But all women are not widows!'' said Dohad.
The foundation has suggested to Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority to disburse the house-rebuilding package in a joint bank account of the male and female heads of household. Policy initiatives such as this can bring a huge difference in the status of women at the household level, and ensure that the government's stated objective to âbuild back better' is met.
While there was general unanimity over following building codes for safe reconstruction, quite a number of women lamented that the pre-fabricated models neither met with their traditions nor respected their privacy.
''We need a design that respects our privacy and purdah,'' has been a common refrain.
Many young girls attending the people's assemblies spoke passionately about their right to education. ''Are girls less important than boys? If we are equal then why is our education not given due importance?'' asked Aasiya from village Sihali.
''Our pleas to reconstruct our dilapidated school building were simply ignored. Who will be held responsible for the deaths of students if it caves in?'' questioned Rabya, a student of the Garhi Habibullah Girls' School where more than 200 girls were buried alive. Rabya herself was trapped under falling debris for more than two hours before she was rescued.
Dohad sees here ''a real opportunity to change traditional power relations which can bring a lasting change.''
''Reconstruction must not only rebuild, but must also significantly improve conditions in devastated rural areas, reducing the vulnerability of the rural poor,'' said Ali Asghar Khan, the chairperson of the foundation. He urged the government and other development partners to listen to the voices of the affected, particularly the women and the poor.
''It's easier said than done,'' says a skeptical Dorothy Blane, country director of âConcern', an Irish NGO, that is involved in rehabilitation work in the frontier province and intends taking the community mobilisation approach by encouraging formation of both male and female groups.
<b>
''Even if the groups form, it is a still a big jump for women to feel free to raise their voices, and a bigger one for them to be heard. When you consider how little changed even in dire circumstances, with injured women refusing to accept treatment from male doctors even with their husband's permission, I am not totally convinced that it will be seen by all the women themselves as an opportunity to bring about positive change....but we, as NGOs, need to support those that do,'' Blane said. (END/2006)
</b>