CHILDREN AND CLIMATE CHANGE - PreventionWeb€¦ · children to be agents of change, and improvement in their inclusivity in structuring strategies to act on climate change. – Vositha

southasiadisasters.net Special Issue, February 20142

CHILDREN AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Addressing Climate Change in South Asia, withMore Focus on Children

Over the last few decades theSouth Asian region, has been

vastly impacted by the adverse effectsof climate change. With a largepercentage of the poor and vulnerablein the world living in the region, thesocial context makes the impacts ofthe situation to be increased inimpact for the region. With the releaseof Working Group 1, AR4 Report ofthe IPCC, it has been shown thatclimate change can no more be calleda myth, and that we all need to takeaction to address this phenomenoncreated by man. In order to addressthe issues of climate change, and findsolutions, it is necessary that we lookinto its impacts with children of theregion in mind.

Over the last 25 years, extremeweather events, including heavyrainfall, heat waves, droughts, floods,cyclones and hurricanes, havecontributed to injury, illness,impoverishment, displacement,hunger and death for hundreds ofmillions of people, often withparticular implications for children.1

It is further highlighted that withoutadequate planning and goodgovernance, poor urban areas can beamong the world's most life-threatening environments.(5) Insome informal settlements, a quarterof all children still die before the ageof five.2 And in many urban areas,the risks children face are bound tobe intensified by climate change.

Various conditions associated withclimate change are likely to result inincreased risks for young children. Inslower onset disasters such asdroughts and famines, mortality ratesare also more extreme for youngchildren. Overall death rates foryoung children continue to drop inmost parts of the world due toimproved health care, immunisationrates and environmental conditions.But for many of the children most atrisk from the biggest killers —diarrhoeal and respiratory diseases,malaria and malnutrition — thesituation is likely to worsen withsome of the effects of climate change.

Moreover, small children, along withwomen and the elderly, are mostlikely to be victims of such extreme

events as flooding, high winds andlandslides. A study of flood-relatedmortality in Nepal, for instance,found the death rate for children tobe double that of adults, with pre-school girls five times more likely todie than adult men3. Thedisproportionate health burden forchildren of challengingenvironmental conditions is welldocumented. According to the mostconservative estimates, childrenunder 14 are 44 per cent more likelyto die because of environmentalfactors than the population at large.4

In addition to weather eventstriggered by climate event,malnutrition also plays a key role inimpacting the children of South Asia.Reduced rainfall and other changes

1 Bartlett, Sheridan, (2008) Climate Change and Urban Children: Impacts and Implications for Adaptation in Low- and Middle IncomeCountries, SAGE, IIED

2 Ibid3 Pradhan, Elizabeth Kimbrough, Keith P West, Joanne Katz, Steven C LeClerq, Subarna K Khatry and Sharada Ram Shrestha

(2007), "Risk of flood-related mortality in Nepal", Disasters Vol 31, No 1, pages 57-70.4 Prüss-Üstün, A and C Corvalán (2006), Preventing Disease through Healthy Environments. Towards an Estimate of the Environmental

Burden of Disease, WHO, Geneva.

southasiadisasters.netSpecial Issue, February 2014 3

affect agriculture which in turnimpacts agricultural systems of theregion and result in interruptions infood supplies in sudden, acute events.After Bangladesh's 1998 floods, whenfamilies were unable to compensateover time for the shortage of food andthe deterioration in health conditions,flood-exposed children failed toexperience the "catch-up" growthcommon after a shock, remainingshorter than unexposed children fromthe same neighbourhoods5.Malnutrition appears further to be agreater risk among children ofdisplaced families6.

Children as Agents of ChangeDespite the vulnerability of thechildren to climate change, it has beenshown that with adequate support andprotection, children can also beextraordinarily resilient in the faceof stresses and shocks. There is ampledocumentation, moreover, of thebenefits of having older childrenactive, informed and involved inresponding to the challenges in theirlives, not only for their own learningand development, but for the energy,resourcefulness and knowledge thatthey can bring to local issues7.

In addressing climate change, climateeducation plays a key role. Article 6of the UNFCCC focuses on this aspectand highlights the need for equaleducation for male and femalechildren which would allows changesin mind sets, and awareness to reactto climate change. We also need totake into account the context of SouthAsia, where the poor and vulnerablehouseholds are of adults who arewithout a formal education. In this

context, children who are educatedwill play a key role in changing thelives of communities through theknowledge that is bestowed uponthem through education. Childreneducated on climate change willresult in education of families as wellas a future generation.

Furthermore in building climatechange related strategies andagendas, the policy makers need topay attention the inclusivity ofchildren, and how the changes willimpact the lives of children. In thecreation of these, it is necessary thatchildren's requirements are wellunderstood. This is purely based onthe fact that unless suchunderstanding exists, the steps theytake to respond to the crises of climatechange are likely to be mis-targetedin some important ways.

In South Asia some countries haveunderstood the key role that childrenplay in battling climate change. Inorder to address the issue on a muchmore effective manner, countries suchas Sri Lanka have an incorporated

5 Del Ninno, Carlo and Matthias Lundberg (2005), "The long-term impact of the 1998 flood on nutrition in Bangladesh",Economics and Human Biology Vol 3, No 1, pages 67-96.

6 Jayatissa R, A Bekele, C L Piyasena and S Mahamithawa (2006), "Assessment of nutritional status of children under five yearsof age, pregnant women and lactating women living in relief camps after the tsunami in Sri Lanka", Food and Nutrition BulletinVol 27, No 2, pages 144-152; also Barrios, R E, J P Stansbury, R Palencia and M T Medina (2000), "Nutritional status of childrenunder five years of age in three hurricane affected areas of Honduras", Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública Vol 8, No 6, pages380-384.

7 Hart, R (1997), Children's Participation: The Theory and Practice of Involving Young Citizens in Community Development andEnvironmental Care, Earthscan/ UNICEF, London.

method of getting the activeparticipation of school children inenvironmental projects whichaddress pollution throughenvironmental clubs set up in schoolsthrough the guidance of theMinistries of Environment andEducation. However there remainimprovements that could be madewith a focus on climate change, giventhat despite the existence of astructure to implement theinclusivity of children in addressingclimate change, there remains theneed for them to be climate changefocussed, or linked to the theme.

In other countries of South Asia therealso remain other projects which haveunderstood the role of children aschange makers. Many Civil SocietyOrganisations having understood theimportance of children in this processhave focussed their awarenesscreation projects to focus on children,and also on climate education. InIndia Clean India initiative hassuccessfully reached out to manyschools in different regions, as wellas many other countries are thinkingin lines of similar action.

In conclusion we could say that thefocus on children as a solution ofclimate change is not missing.However there needs to be aconsolidated effort on developing thequality of the space allocated tochildren to be agents of change, andimprovement in their inclusivity instructuring strategies to act onclimate change.

– Vositha Wijenayake,Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator,

Climate Action Network South Asia

Despite the vulnerability ofthe children to climate

change, it has been shownthat with adequate support

and protection, children canalso be extraordinarily

resilient in the face of stressesand shocks.


CHILDREN AND DISASTERS

Blighted Childhoods by Uttarakhand Disaster

The June 2013 floods andlandslides in Uttrakhand would

go down in India's history as one ofthe most debilitating disasters. Theextent of death and devastationwitnessed in this disaster has beenunprecedented. The loss of life andproperty along with the disruptionof basic services saw the state ofUttarakhand descend into a state ofanarchy for months. While thisdisaster has been considered as atragedy of the highest order by all,children and adolescents as a grouphave been hit the hardest. Thefollowing three incidents involvingchildren clearly bring out thewretched state in which a lot ofchildren of the state find themselvesafter the June 2013 floods.

1. The first incident deals with thesad story of Anil who foundhimself in the unfortunateposition of a stable hand inKedarnath on the ill-fatedmorning of 17th June, 2013.

Motivated by the prospect ofearning some money to supporthis studies and help his familyfinancially, Anil along with twofellow students came toKedarnath from his nativevillage of Kaunj-Pauthni inChamoli district of Uttarakhand.As a stable-boy Anil used to ferrypilgrims on horseback to and frobetween Kedarnath andGaurikund. On the morning of17th June 2013, a ragingMandakini river, fuelled byincessant rains broke its courseto sweep across Kedarnathswallowing Anil along withmany others.

It had hardly been 20 days sincethis 16 year old student fromDoongri-Maikot High Schoolstarted to work when his lifeended abruptly and horribly.This account Anil's misfortune isbut one of the many tales makingup a larger story of childhoods

in Uttarakhand blighted by thistragedy.

2. The second incident narrates theordeal of Pinky, a ninth standardstudent hailing from the villageof Shrigad in the Chamoli districtof Uttarakhand. Pinky washardly four years old when hermother passed away. Two yearsafter her mother's demise herfather also expired. Fortunately,by that time Pinky's elder sisterhad married and decided to takePinky to live with her at her in-laws.

Pinky's brother-in-law (hersister's husband) used to supporthis family by ferrying pilgrimson horses and mules inKedarnath. A part of the meagreliving thus made, was happilyspent by Pinky's sister on hereducation and upbringing. Allwas going well for Pinky whenher fate took a twist for worse as


her brother-in-law went missingafter the floods and landslide inKedarnath.

The death of the sole breadwinner in Pinky's family meantthat the family could easilyplunge into poverty. Thisunfortunate incident has also casta shadow of uncertainty onPinky's future as she might beforced to discontinue hereducation for the want offinancial support.

3. The third incident is related tothe plight of the State PrimarySchool at Farkia, in ChamoliDistrict of Uttarakhand. The July13 landslide has transformed thisschool's building into a pile ofrubble. The two weeks after thecatastrophe were absolutelychaotic and the school had to beoperated from two makeshiftlocations in the village. From13th August onwards, this schoolwas shifted to the premises of thePanchayat. But the dank premisesof the Panchayat proved to be amajor impediment for teachersto teach and consequently forchildren to learn.

It has been seven months sincethe school's building wasdestroyed. However, there is stillno indication to point that thereconstruction process would bestarting any time soon. The 30students of this primary schoolalong with the 10 children in theAganwadi centre that operatedfrom this school's premises allwait endlessly for help from thegovernment to come in. But thiswait has been too long and nowunrequited patience is givingway to angst and dejection.

The only redeeming feature inthis abject story is the help thathas poured in from various non-government voluntaryorganizations. Theseorganizations have beenresponsible for providing thisschool with basic and essentialitems such as small plasticboards, plastic chairs, cookingitems, jute mats for children tosit, etc.

Despite the hardships faced byit, this school is still operatingwhich speaks volumes about thespirit and sincerity of its teachers

who in the face of adversity havedecided to brave on. It is thisresilient spirit of its teachers thathas helped students to attend thisschool in the most unfavourableof circumstances. However,given the chaos caused by thedisaster the learning capabilitiesand possibilities of the studentshave been severely affected.

The aforementioned incidents painta poignant picture of the trials andtribulations of children during andpost the June 2013 tragedy inUttarakhand. Viewed from theperspective of children, theUttarakhand floods and landslides isan unmitigated disaster that haskilled, orphaned and dispossessedthem with abandon. This disaster hasalso exposed the enhanced inherentvulnerability of children to extremeevents during exigent times. Thesethree incidents provide a snapshot ofordeal that children throughout theaffected areas of the Uttrakhanddisaster have to go through.

The alarming situation can only beaddressed through institutionalmechanisms. For instance, there is anurgent need to strongly implementlabour laws in these places ofpilgrimage that precludes childrenfrom being used as cheap labour.Similarly, the damage suffered byschool buildings in this disaster beartestimony to the unscrupulouspractices followed by governmentcontractors and bureaucracy. Strongermeasures such as laws, regulation,monitoring and audits that inhibitcorruption and incompetence areneeded. Only through a concertedeffort based on the previous actionscan the children of Uttarakhand behelped to overcome the adverseimpacts of this disaster and live up totheir fullest potential.

– Omprakash Bhatt,Sarvodaya Centre, Gopeshwar,

Chamoli, Uttarakhand


INTERVIEW

Addressing Children’s Vulnerabilities inTsunami RehabilitationThe aftermath of Tsunami in

December 2004, gave an awakingto the entire coastal villages to knowabout term. The December 2004Tsunami proved to be an unmitigateddisaster for all the coastal villages ofCuddalore district in the Indian stateof Tamil Nadu. It's been more thannine years to that tragedy but the painand suffering it caused is stillpalpable among the residents of thesecoastal villages. This massive disasterforced the local, district and stateadministration to coin policies fordisaster risk reduction (DRR). In fact,the severity of this disaster stirred alldepartments like educationdepartment, revenue department,health department, fire and rescuedepartment, etc. to include DRRstrategies in their program.

After the Tsunami of 2004, Cuddaloredistrict faced floods in 2005, CycloneNisha in 2008 and Cyclone Thane in2011. During the calamities of 2005and 2008, a lot of agencies werepresent in the district to support thedistrict administration cope up withthese calamities along with carryingout the task of their respectivetsunami recovery programs.However, the situation was differentafter Cyclone Thane in 2011, whereinthe local administration played a key

role in the recovery and rehabilitationprocess. As a result of the proactiverole played by the local administrationthe death toll from Cyclone Thanewas kept to the bare minimum.

As a result of the various programmesorganized by governmentdepartments students in the districtwere made aware of disaster andpreparedness after Cyclone Thane.Mrs. Thangamani, Head Mistress ofPanchayat Union Middle School,Periyakanganakuppam corroboratesthis fact and stated that her studentsstudying in standard seventh andeighth weren't much aware ofdisasters after the Tsunami but theirknowledge improved considerablyafter the Cyclone Thane. But thisawareness about disasters and theknowledge that their district has been

conferred with the status of a disasterprone village has overwhelmed thestudents psychologically. They nowlive in constant fear and even aslightly heavy wind makes them verynervous as they fear the advent of animminent cyclone.

A potent method to rid the studentsof these unfounded phobias is disasterpreparedness lessons. These lessonscan be imparted to students accordingto their academic calendar, i.e. theselessons should be given to differentstudents according to the class in whichthey study. These lessons shouldcontinue well into higher secondary.

All these efforts can be boosted bysupport from the parents as well. Theyshould be made active stakeholdersin the entire effort for achievingresilience. As far as the school levelis concerned the students and theparents can be motivated. And thestudents can be trained and formedas Disaster Resilient Groups to copedisasters in and out of the school likewe have the scouts and guides etc.Regular and frequent programs willhelp the student to be more resilientin future and disaster preparednesswill be inculcated within them. – Reuben James, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu

Interview with Mrs. Thangamani, HeadMistress of Panchayat Union Middle School,

Periyakanganakuppam, Tamil Nadu.

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INTERVIEW

Climate Refugees

Over the past two decades,disasters have affected billions

of people worldwide and killed 1.3million. The economic and humanlosses resulting from weather andclimate related disasters haveincreased five-fold in recent years. Asthe impacts of climate changeintensify, the frequency, scale andseverity of extreme weather eventsand their impacts on children andeconomies will dramaticallyincrease. Reducing risk and buildingresilience are critical elements ofsustainable development.Unaddressed, climate change anddisasters hold the potential to stalland reverse progress towards theMillennium Development Goals andtrap the most vulnerable in the cycleof poverty.

Integrating robust analysis of disasterand climate risk into developmentplanning and implementation willcontribute to safeguarding thesustainability of programs and helpcommunities be better prepared in theface of increasing disaster risks.Children play a critical role in thisprocess; however, they are oftensidelined from the decision-makingprocess and defined as passivevictims. But children have thepotential to effectively communicaterisks and act as agents of change, andthey are capable of activelyparticipating in the decision makingprocesses that will ultimately affectthem, and their families.

Mr. Venkadesan, Asst. Project Officersaid that efforts towards recognitionof children's rights to survival andprotection as well as to education andparticipation would be the core of anychild centered activity framed. Todaythe Government has taken prudent

steps in strengthening theinfrastructures of the educationalinstitution. There is no structuralvulnerability is found in this district.After tsunami in 2004 all the buildingin the coast of the district isreconstructed with the special care ofdisaster resistance also now after 2011cyclone all the educational buildingare constructed disaster resilient.

The schools are given awareness ondisaster preparedness and climatechange by various agencies andgovernment departments. As afollow up of this schools have formedeco clubs and involved in no plasticzone creation, plantation of trees andkitchen garden in schools. All theschools are given with garbage binseparate for degradable and nondegradable. Also the usage isinculcated to the students.

The long term and sustainableresilience of children towards disastershould have Safe learning facilities,School disaster management, Riskreduction and resilience education.For this to be achieved the childrenneed to be clearly educated on the riskreduction, and this need to be

incorporated in the curriculum. Anysustainability looks towards future,future is in the hands of the studentstoday, so healthy, safe and welleducated children creates safe anddeveloped societies for which thevoice and choice of the children needto heard and addressed.

The students are to be trained ascatalyst for developing disasterresilient future. It is the need of thehour to prepare the childrenpsychologically and mentally to trainthem to inherit the disaster riskreduction as their culture.

We envisage students are wellequipped to cope with disasters byhaving school disaster riskmanagement plan, more greenery inschool, better linkage withcommunity and school throughstudents, holistic disastermanagement plan for all theeducation institutions of thedistrict.

– Reuben JamesCuddalore, Tamil Nadu

Interview with Mr. Venkadesan, Asst.Project Officer, Sarva Siksha Abhyan,

Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Venkadesan, Asst. Project Officer, Sarva Siksha Abhyan, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu.

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SCHOOL SAFETY

Building Safer Education in Urban Areas:A Case of School Disaster Management Plan

Disasters and risks to Assam arebecoming increasingly complex

due to the diversity of hazardsaffecting Assam. Emergencies canquickly escalate in scope and severityresulting in significant human andeconomic losses. Kamrup, anadministrative district in Assam isprone to flash floods, earthquake andfire accidents.

Schools play a vital role in everycommunity. They are not only theplaces where students learn andteachers teach; but are also used forsocial gatherings, theatre and sports.In addition, school buildings play animportant role in responding to andrecovering from natural disasters. Inan event of a disaster, schools serveas emergency shelters for the localcommunity. Based on a reportsubmitted by Assam EngineeringCollege (AEC) to the Assam StateDisaster Management Authority(ASDMA) in March 2013,approximately 200 private andgovernment schools in Guwahatiwere found highly vulnerable todisasters and its impacts. ASDMA has

been a pioneer in taking an initiativeon School Safety in Assam to buildcapacity of school stakeholders byconducting City EmergencyManagement Exercises (EMExs);mock drills; awareness generationprogrammes and dissemination ofpublications with an objective toreduce vulnerability. In 2012-13 AllIndia Disaster Mitigation Institute(AIDMI) with the support fromASDMA conducted 40 trainings onschool safety in 25 districts of Assamwhere 1,682 teachers from 1,314schools attended the trainings wherethey prepared School DisasterManagement Plan (SDMP) of theirown school and participated in themock drills.

Further, ASDMA with AIDMI hasimplemented 'Pilot School DisasterManagement Plans through 'Model-School' Approach' in Kamrup Metrowith 4 Schools (2 government and 2private) to understand the challengesfaced by schools towards buildingsafer education. Series of meetingswith teachers, students andstakeholders were held to explain the

objective and importance of SDMPs,to conduct Hazard, Vulnerability andCapacity Assessment (HVCA) oftheir schools and to prepare SDMPs(which are based on the guidelinessuggested by National DisasterManagement Authority (NDMA)under National School SafetyProgram (NSSP)). Different teamssuch as Disaster Management team,Search and Rescue team, Fire Safetyteam amongst others involvingschool staff and students were formedunder School Disaster ManagementCommittee to carry out a 'SchoolSafety Audit' that helped them findout about gaps in safety and nonstructural mitigation measures. Theseteams are committed to build disasterresilient schools by conductingperiodical safety audits, updatingSDMPs, conducting mock drills andother DM activities. DisasterMitigation Fund worth INR 35,000was provided to each school to builddisaster resilient schools.

Following are some of the nonstructural mitigation measures found

SDMP of Jherjheri M.E. Madrassa, Kotamoni, Karimganj, Assam.

Oriented participants were busy in preparing schoolrisk assessment through group exercise.

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by these teachers for their respectiveschool under the project:1. Additional fire extinguisher for

mid day meals kitchen2. Fixing book shelves, almirahs and

securing chemical laboratorybottles/racks and placing ofwarning signs with safetymeasures

3. Electricity safety audit andr e p a i r i n g / r e p l a c e m e n tvulnerable appliances includingcalendar for routine check up

4. Fire safety audit and fire safetymeasures by placing of sandbuckets, displaying maps of fireextinguisher locations/evacuation routes/location ofEmergency Support Function(ESFs), display of emergencynumbers through visible tools,routine assessment of gascylinder accessories checking/replacement/repairing

5. Measures for control ofmosquito breeding and other

CHILDREN’S CHARTER

Disaster Risk Reduction for Children by Children

Children are not just one morevulnerable group to be helped

and cared for. Children can activelyand effectively reduce disaster risks.And as a result now children havetheir own charter. This is verypertinent as the moral and pragmaticimperative to include children indisaster risk reduction planning andenvisioning process has becomeinescapable. It is from this need to

include children in the DRR decisionmaking process that the Children'sCharter for Disaster Risk Reductionhas spawned.

This charter has been developed bycollaboration among UNICEF, Plan,Save the Children and World Vision.This charter is the culmination ofsynthesis of consultations with over600 children in 21 countries in Africa,

Asia and LatinAmerica. The goal ofthis charter is to raiseawareness of a child-centred approach toDRR and for a strongercommitment fromgovernments, donorsand agencies toactively engagechildren in DRR and

climate change adaptation activitiesby leveraging their knowledge andenergy.

The five priorities of the Children'sCharter include the following:1. Schools must be safe and

education must not beinterrupted

2. Child protection must be apriority before, during and aftera disaster

3. Children have a right toparticipate and to access theinformation they need

4. Community infrastructure mustbe safe, and relief andreconstruction must help reducefuture risk

5. Disaster Risk Reduction mustreach the most vulnerablepeople.

– Kshitij Gupta

A copy of Children's Charter for Disaster Risk Reduction isavailable at: http://www.childreninachangingclimate.org/database/CCC/Publications/children_charter.pdf

vectors and preparation ofannual routine

6. Development of IEC materialson water/vector borne diseases,safe evacuation processes, firstaid, earthquake preparedness,integrative school-teacher-students-parents involvement

7. Provision for emergency exitchannels and diversification ofexit routes through temporarychannels for safe/rapidemergency evacuation

8. Cleanliness of water drainagesystem to ensure rapid drainageof logged water throughappropriate channel

9. Training of Teachers and staffmembers on Conducting MockDrill, Search & Rescue, First Aidand Rights Protection,Accountability and Disaster RiskReduction

The SDMP pilot will be crucial toencourage school stakeholders to

demonstrate the SDMP and update itperiodically with the lessons learnt.The trained teachers and activeDDMA are creating enablingenvironment for such positivechange in the field of DRR and SchoolSafety. This pilot will create usefulplatform for school teachers andstudents with technical inputs fromAIDMI to implement the SDMP. Suchpractical experience will build thecapacity of school for emergencyresponse and risk reduction. The pilotSDMP addresses non-structuralelements in school, capacity buildingof stakeholders, awarenessgeneration, and micro mitigationmeasures that are not depended onexternal agencies. This pilot is uniquenot only at state but national level; itis for the first time that such project isimplemented. This pilot comes outwith useful experience to share atnational/regional level that will pushSDMP at next level.

– Gautam Bhut and Khyati Halani


INFORMATION SHARING

Children and Disasters

Children, defined here as personsunder the age of 18,1 are a highly

vulnerable group in disastersituations due to their age and uniquedevelopmental needs.2 Infants andyoung children are physicallyvulnerable because of their limitedmobility, their inability to protectthemselves, their less developedimmune systems, and their specificnutritional requirements.3 Olderchildren and adolescents are at riskof malnutrition, disease, injury anddeath; furthermore they are liable todevelop various behavioural,psychological and emotionalproblems following disasters. Assuch situations can lead to large-scaledisplacement, disrupt essentialservices and weaken securityconditions, children are particularlyprone to being trafficked, exploited,abused, being separated from theirfamilies, being taken out of schools,and forced into marriage.4 Girls,children with disabilities, andchildren from minority backgrounds,are at even greater risk of beingharmed.5

1 Here, the international definition of a child as contained within Article 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child isadopted. As will be discussed later on in the paper, the definition of what constitutes a child is particularly controversial inIndia, with national and state laws defining the 'child' differently depending on the context. See http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1523&context=macintl

2 The term 'developmental needs' is used broadly to refer to the physical, social, mental and emotional conditions needed toensure a child's wellbeing.

3 See generally, http://www.recoveryplatform.org/assets/Guidance_Notes/INTERNATIONAL_HEALTH_%20011210_nisa.pdf

4 http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Children/SR/Informal_summary_side_event8.3.12.pdf; see Lori Peek,'Children and Disasters: Understanding Vulnerability, Developing Capacities, and Promoting Resilience - An Introduction'Children, Youth and Environments 18(1), 2008

5 http://www.swisshumanrightsbook.com/SHRB/shrb_02_files/347_18%20jain.pdf; http://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/cws/article/viewFile/9466/8583

6 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies World Disaster Report 2001: focus on recovery. http://www.ifrc.org/Global/Publications/disasters/WDR/21400_WDR2001.pdf; http://www.childwatch.uio.no/research/children-in-emergencies/Lancet,%20Children's%20rights%20in%20emergencies%20and%20disasters.pdf

7 Lori Peek, 'Children and Disasters: Understanding Vulnerability, Developing Capacities,and Promoting Resilience - AnIntroduction' Children, Youth and Environments 18(1), 2008; on increase in number of disasters, see IFRC http://www.ifrc.org/PageFiles/89755/Photos/307000-WDR-2011-FINAL-email-1.pdf p. 200

8 Disaster Management: Global Challenges and Local Solutions p. 2; http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38327&Cr=disaster+risk&Cr1

Numerous studies have establishedthat children form a significantproportion of those affected bydisasters. In 2001, the InternationalFederation of the Red Cross and theRed Crescent Societies found that inthe decade before, about 66.5 millionchildren globally were affected bynatural disasters each year,6 and sixyears on Save the Children calculatedthat this would rise to 175 millionchildren per year due to climatechange, overpopulation and

accelerated urban-rural migrationincreasing the frequency of disasters.7Within the South Asian region alone,70% of all populations affected werechildren.8 Such high numbers havebeen said to be the outcome ofnumerous factors, these being:• A long-standing common, yet

erroneous assumption thatchildren are not affected bydisasters.

• Inadequate research and poorunderstanding of children's

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9 Lori Peek, 'Children and Disasters: Understanding Vulnerability, DevelopingCapacities,and Promoting Resilience - An Introduction' Children, Youth andEnvironments 18(1), 2008

10 Ministry of Home Affairs, Disaster Management in India, pp. 8-1011 http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.8198235/ ; http:/

/wvasiapacific.org/latest/india-world-vision-responding-to-assam-flood-affected-communities.html

12 http://www.childlineindia.org.in/bihar-report.html13 http://www.savethechildren.in/what-we-do/disaster-risk-reduction-a-

emergencies/responding-to-emergencies.html?start=214 http://umdcipe.org/conferences/epckdi/9.PDF; Ministry of Home Affairs,

Disaster Management in India, pp. 11-12

needs, vulnerabilities andexperiences of disasters.

• Children occupy a low positionin society and lack the power tovoice their concerns.9

• Disaster managementapproaches have typicallysubsumed children's needs underthose of adults or havecompletely ignored children'sparticular requirements.

• Disaster managementprofessionals lack the expertiseto address children's needs.

• There is poor recognition of thefact that children possess basicrights and must be treated asequal human beings.

• Failure to prepare communitiesproperly for disasters andinadequate relief responses.

India is no exception to the globaltrend. Over the course of its extensivedisaster history, children havesuffered disproportionately.10 In the2012 Assam floods — one of the

biggest flood disasters to hit theregion in ten years, — it wasestimated that half of the 2 millionpeople affected were children.11 In thedevastating 2008 Kosi River floods,regarded as one of India's worstdisasters, children were amongst themost affected and were subject to childabuse, child trafficking, trauma,malnourishment and trafficking. Therelief materials sent were generallyfor adults and not targeted at them. 12

Similarly, the 2010 cloudburst/flash-flooding in Leh saw 5,000 children,about 40% of the affected population,

bear the brunt of the floods. Theybecame highly traumatised due totheir anxiety about the upcomingwinter and further cloudbursts.13

Highlighting the poor levels of safetyin India's schools, in the 2001 Gujaratearthquake, 931 children werecrushed to death when their schoolbuilding collapsed. It is anticipatedthat unless preventative andmitigating actions are taken, morechildren will be affected as climatechange is projected to exacerbateIndia's already high vulnerability todisasters.14 – Vandana Chauhan

KNOWLEDGE SHARING: BUILDING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

Children's Participation in Building ResilienceIn the year 2008, The Inter-

Agency Working Group onChildren's Participation (IAWGCP)published "Children as active citizens– a policy and programme guide forcommitments and obligations forchildren's civil rights and civicengagement in East Asia and thePacific". The publication is a landmarkin many ways. The most importantpoint it makes is that children arecitizens. They stand equal to all.

This publication presents an agendafor the promotion of children's civilrights and civic engagement. It isdivided into three parts.

Part one includes Introduction,Importance, Negligence, Agenda andRegional Context of children'scitizenship and civil rights.

Part two includes Operationalizingchildren's civil rights with Birth andcivil registration; Children'sexpression of opinion and control

over decisions in daily life; Access toinformation; Feedback andcomplaints mechanisms; Justice forchildren Economic citizenship andaccess to resources.

Part three includes Developing andPracticing active citizenship detailingon Citizenship competencies andcivic engagement; Children as activecitizens in the media; Childreninfluencing public decisions;Children-led associations.1

Though the focus is not on reducingrisk on resilience the publication isof interest and use for all who look atrisk from the window of sustainableright based development. The morechildren participate in reducing riskof disasters and climate change morethey become active in shapingsustainable and safe development.

– Ritu Saxena1 For entire guide refer: http://www.crin.org/docs/JT_active_citizens.pdf


RISK REDUCTION

Women and Disasters*

The Hyogo Framework for Action(HFA 1) will end in 2015. With

only a year left to 2015, the demandsfor a post 2015 framework for disasterrisk reduction (HFA 2) have becomemore pertinent and vociferous. Aseries of consultations, seminars andworkshops have been organizedworldwide to identify and addressthe key areas in the field of disasterrisk reduction (DRR) through HFA 2.Women as a force in resiliencebuilding and gender equity in DRRhas emerged as an important key areathat warrants attention in HFA 2. TheAll India Disaster Mitigation

1 This article has been prepared based on the AIDMI's recent impact evaluation of2013 floods affected tribal women and their recovery.

Institute (AIDMI) decided to addressthis key area by holding a groupdiscussion with tribal women of southGujarat who were affected by floodsin September 2013. This exerciseexplored not only the vulnerabilityof these women during suchcontingent times but their inherentstrengths as agents of resilience aswell.

In the wake of the unprecedentedheavy rains and consequent floods inSeptember 2013, large parts of southGujarat were badly affected. Thedownpour caused rivers Heran,

Osran and Vishwamitri to spill theirbanks in Gujarat, forcing thousandsto flee their homes and seek refugein school shelters and terraces of puccahouse. This article tried to look at theimpact of floods on tribal womenbased on the real experiences of thosewho were affected by 2013 floods.AIDMI along with Sukhi MahilaSEWA Mandal visited Vadodradistrict to meet tribal women todiscuss and understand the same.

Disasters do not discriminate; theyaffect all – women and men, rich andpoor, children and the elderly. Butspecific groups are impacteddifferently and the extent of sufferingvaries. For example, women bear agreater burden of extreme climaticevents as compared to men. The rootcauses of women's vulnerability oftenlie in unequal power relations thatdeny women basic rights and givethem secondary status in the labourforce. This is compounded by alimited access to land rights andextensive domestic responsibilitieswhich contribute significantly inmaking women economicallyvulnerable long before a naturaldisaster strikes. While the experiencesof each woman participant will bedifferent, there are a fewgeneralizations below that werefrequently echoed during the focusgroup discussions with flood affectedtribal women:

Domestic Responsibility: Women areoverwhelmingly responsible fordomestic chores; these do not vanishin the event of a disaster such as floodsbut increase dramatically - cleaning,repairing, drying, fixing belongings,collecting fodder among the regularhousehold activities.• Participation in livelihood

activities: In one of focus group

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discussions, women pointed outthat post floods they had to startworking in informal sector asagriculture labourers,housemaids etc to make the endsmeet. Despite of the diminishingand limited resources during andpost floods, women do not seethe increased workload in anegative sense but consider it asa part of their 'duty' towardsfamily.

• Restrictive Social Norms:Approximately 70% of thewomen said that they werehandicapped in escaping floodsif the water levels were very highas they cannot swim (learningswimming being a taboo), orclimb trees because they areweighed down by clothing to'preserve their modesty'. Onewoman from village Badaliyasaid that "During these tensemoments, it is difficult to managesaree. My child could run towardshigher lands or climb the roof topsbut he got scared and refused to getdown from my arms making it difficult

for me to walk fast. With a lot adifficulty I managed to climb the rooftop of panchayat building with mychild".

• Health and Sanitation: Lack ofclean water and the inability touse public toilets due to floodsputs the women in a difficultsituation. All the women presentin the focus group discussionagreed that the social taboosaround norms of appropriatebehaviour make them highlysusceptible to health problems.

All this paints a very grim anddepressing picture, however it isessential to look at the other side ofthe coin — the resources tribal womenbrought post 2013 floods. First,women are remarkably resilient andthey will do just about anything tokeep their families together, to keepthem safe and healthy. Despite theheavy burden that women had bornepost the 2013 floods, theydemonstrated considerable fortitudeand ingenuity in their attempts torebuild their damaged houses and

livelihood to guarantee their familysurvival. Secondly, traditionaldistinctions between the roles of menand women changed post floods withpragmatic decisions being taken onre-allocation of responsibilities. Dueto the crop loss to floods, the womenstarted working as agriculturallabourers in the fields of others.Third, the women of the district weremembers of women's organisationssuch as Sukhi Mahila SEWA Mandalthat played a crucial role byproviding them with relief materialsduring and post floods.

Times of disasters leave people in asituation of crisis. Therefore, disastersshould also be seen as an opportunityto improve pre-existing conditionssuch as gender imbalances in society.Reconstruction, therefore, should notbe thought of simply as a process ofreplacing what has been lost, but alsoas an opportunity to improve theexisting social order and make it moreequitable for the mostunderprivileged and vulnerablegroups. – Khyati Halani

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ASSESSMENT

Child-Centred Hazard, Vulnerability andCapacity AssessmentDisasters have damaged the lives

and rights of children aroundthe world. In the near future, theincreasing severity and frequency ofdisasters would escalate thevulnerability of children as well.Disasters affect children directly byendangering their physical securityand indirectly by exposing them toills like poverty, malnutrition,disrupted education, psychologicaltrauma, etc. Children due to theirunique stage of physical and mentaldevelopment have special needs.Thus, any policy that is meant to buildthe resilience of children to disastersmust address these special needs.

Even though children are extremelyexposed to the adverse impacts ofdisasters they are often excluded paindisaster management planning andpractice1. More opportunities shouldbe provided to children to participatein disaster management and climatechange decision making. Theirparticipation in those decisions canensure the realization of other childrights enshrined in the UNConvention on the Rights of the Child,including the right to safety, survival,protection from violence and harm,adequate health care, and education,all of which are compromised in theevent of a disaster, natural or man-made. Programme evidence hasshown that children have a uniqueperspective on disaster risks that canimprove a community's overallresilience to disasters, and they areeffective communicators of risk toeach other and their communities.

The All India Disaster MitigationInstitute's (AIDMI) experience ofworking with children in DRR has

shown that children's participation inthe identification of hazards and themonitoring of risks in theircommunities is a central componentof a child-centred Disaster RiskReduction (DRR) program. Trainingchildren on DRR, therefore, is mosteffectively centred on conducting,with children, a child-friendly,participatory Hazard, Vulnerabilityand Capacity Assessment (HVCA).The participatory HVCA process with

children accomplishes two importantobjectives: it builds children'sknowledge and skills in DRR, and itenables children to analyze andmonitor disaster risks,vulnerabilities, and capacities in theircommunities, to better protectthemselves, and to share theirinformed views to influence disastermanagement governance andplanning.

Once an HVCA has been conductedwith children, children gainknowledge and skills on theircommunity's hazard andvulnerability profile. This knowledgeof children can be applied to informthe planning and implementationdecisions for prevention,preparation, and mitigation activitiesthat have been prioritized by childrenat the end of the HVCA process.Follow-up child centred DRRprogramming springing from theirHVCAs can include small projectsthat the children manage themselvesto affect change, awareness raising,and advocacy in cooperation withadult groups and NGOs to hold localgovernments accountable to theirresponsibilities, with the aim ofcreating spaces for children's voicesto be heard on a regular basis indisaster management decisionmaking.2

Thus, a child-centred HVCA is anindispensable tool to increase thestake of children in DRR planning,implementation and decisionmaking. While more time consumingthan other methods of DRR trainingwith children, a child-centred DRRproduces greater benefits for childrenand a more effective approach forpromoting overall communityresilience to disasters.

– Brij Chauhan1 http://www.preventionweb.net/files/3820_CHLDRR.pdf2 http://www.plan-uk.org/resources/documents/260258/

"While humanitarian principlesand human rights conventionsensure that, increasingly, childrenare given special protection inemergency situations; children'sright to participation remainslargely unrecognized. Childrencontinue to be perceived as merevictims of disasters rather thanactive agents of change who canmake a real difference."

- Plan International, 2007

Photo: AIDMI.


RISK MANAGEMENT

Child-Centred Disaster Risk ManagementPlanningGeographies around the world are

prone to various forms ofhazards. But the incidence of disastersand the severity of their impacts havealways been found to be higher inlesser developed regions. This owesto the fact that hazards compoundexisting vulnerabilities therebyleading to disasters. Therefore, anyeffort to reduce the damage potentialof hazards must necessarily be aimedat reducing these underlyingvulnerabilities.

Lesser developed regions aregenerally densely populated,environmentally sensitive, castedifferentiated, educationallybackward and economically poorwith unsteady sources of livelihood,weak public institutions, poor accessto basic services and poor physicalinfrastructure. A combination of allthese debilitating factors makes lesserdeveloped regions highly vulnerableto hazards. In such a scenario, thecommunities in these regions are notdisaster resilient and remain either

plunged in poverty or on the brinkof it. Due to a variety of reasons,children as group are greatly exposedto the adverse impacts of disasters.This makes it crucial to plan riskmanagement measures that affectsthem – directly or indirectly.

Disasters impact children the most interms of physical, emotional, mental,educational and nutritionaldevelopment. The first step to riskreduction and management is toidentify the causal factors affectingchildren and plan around that. Let'stake a look at one such scenario thatis a causal factor inducing theenhanced vulnerability of children tothe detrimental effects of disasters.

A disaster strike would have adamaging effect on the existinginfrastructure like roads and bridges,and as a result restricts access tomarkets. Or otherwise, it may alsodirectly affect their livelihood (suchas flooding of agricultural field ordeath of domesticated animals) or the

quality of the products that devaluesthem. The reduced income levels havea direct affect on their children, interms of access to food (or qualityfood), thereby having an effect ontheir all round growth and diminishedhealth status. Any harm to physicalhealth can also have a correspondingimpact on emotional and mentalhealth. Clearly, while children do nothave anything to do directly withlivelihoods, the impact on them isobvious. The risk managementcomponent that is child-centred hasto do more with addressing the riskto livelihoods that their parents face.Thus, livelihoods diversification anddisaster mainstreamed livelihoodpromotion programmes are requiredto be planned and implemented in away that can substantially reduce thescale at which psychosocial andmedical support is required bychildren. This is particularlyimportant when we know thatunderdeveloped regions have pooraccess to medical infrastructure andability to retain qualified doctors orclinical psychologists is difficult.

The scenario addressed aboveidentifies just one major causal factormaking children and communitiesvulnerable, while impact of severalother issues such as poor access topotable water and sanitation need tobe further evaluated and addressed.

Likewise, causal factors need to beidentified in similar fashion and ingreater depth for problems such aschild abuse and sexual exploitation,poor access to education and qualitydelivery, child labour, etc., whereclearly identified causal factors canlead the way to an effective andresponsive child-centred disaster riskmanagement planning.

– Varun Kappal

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Denis NkalaRegional Coordinator, South-South Cooperation andCountry Support (Asia-Pacific), United NationsDevelopment Programme, New York

Ian DavisVisiting Professor in Disaster Risk Management inCopenhagen, Lund, Kyoto and Oxford BrookesUniversities

Madhavi Malalgoda AriyabanduInternational Strategy for Risk Reduction (ISDR) –South Asia, Sri Lanka

Mihir R. BhattAll India Disaster Mitigation Institute, India

Dr. Satchit Balsari, MD, MPHThe University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell,New York, USA

T. Nanda KumarMember, National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA), India

ALL INDIA DISASTER MITIGATION INSTITUTE411 Sakar Five, Near Natraj Cinema, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad–380 009 India. Tele/Fax: +91-79-2658 2962E-mail: [email protected], Website: http://www.aidmi.org, www.southasiadisasters.net

Congratulations to AIDMI team members who have succeeded in producing a hundred issues ofSouthasiadisasters.net over the past eight years! This publication has now created a vital niche in providing astream of distilled knowledge concerning disaster risk management within the Asian Region. May this importantwork continue in the years ahead and may the material being published remain always relevant, accurate,innovative, interesting, be broad in its scope and perhaps most important, to continually challenge currentwisdom. – Ian Davis

Visiting Professor in Disaster Risk Management in Copenhagen, Lund, Kyoto and Oxford Brookes Universities, UK

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team members, academics, youth leaders and heads of authorities belonging to 188 organizations from India and33 countries, covering 13 disasters, spanning over 30 themes and 11 important national and international policydiscourses. Perhaps this is the longest and largest such effort to capture Disaster Risk Reduction in action in Asia.The uniqueness of Southasiadisasters.net can be highlighted in the following points:1. Southaisadisasters.net has a rich repository of knowledge on themes that address all the 5 priorities of the

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