Women in the December 26 Tsunami: How Have they Coped; How can we Help?

摘要

The tsunami that occurred on December 26,2004 brought tremendous suffering and ioss of life to several countries in the Indian Ocean. No less than 290 000 lives were lost in the countries affected, many of them from fishing communities. There were more women victims than men, and there were reports of women and children being disadvantaged and victimized. This paper describes how women were affected by the tsunami. It also highlights the importance of gender-sensitive emergency and reconstruction plans to ensure that the needs of women, men, girls and boys are given equal attention and treatment during a disaster.