Tomoko Kashiwazaki
APWLD Assistant to Programme Officer

The Forum on Disaster and Women in Kobe, 2005

On 13th November 2005, in Kobe, a city in the western Japan, around 120 women from all over Japan met and shared what have happened particularly to women since the big earthquake hit the city ten years ago which killed around 5,000 people. The Forum on Disaster and Women was also attended by the officials of the government agencies on disaster management and on gender equality in politics. Given that number of women’s death during the Kobe earthquake was by 1,000 higher than men’s, it was important to look at how and why women had to suffer additional burden. The coordinator of the Forum, Reiko Masai, noted that women’s groups’ promptly voicing concerns of women’s human rights violations in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami gave Japanese women human rights defenders impetus in their advocacy for special protection of women in disaster situations. And the APWLD’s report “Why are women more vulnerable during disasters?” was translated into Japanese and included in the resource materials of the Forum.

The following were the issues on violations of human rights of women and children in disaster situations raised at the Forum:

• Majority of female deaths were women in their 70’s – 80’s who lived in old apartment buildings on pensions half as much as men’s;

• There was increased sexual harassment of women, including reports of 37 cases of rape in and around the shelter camps. Concerns on sexual abuse were raised at a meeting held by local women after the disaster. Conservative media reacted with an article claiming that the stories of rape were made up by demagogue feminists to keep up their movements.

• Government financial support was provided to victims of the earthquake but rather than providing it to individuals it was done on household basis. If the head of the household (usually a man) was not affected by the earthquake, no other family member was eligible for the support. The concern was taken to the court and the provision was revised to individual basis.

• Many part time workers, which are mostly women, were made redundant after the disaster while male full time workers were put in hotel rooms by companies to secure their labour force.

• Health service provision: pregnant women and women with new born babies did not have access to health services since the health care programme prioritised elderly people.

• Severe domestic violence cases were reported to NGO hotline after the disaster, including child abuse by a mother who experienced high level of stresses at home.

The Forum also had a session on women’s participation in disaster management and reconstruction processes. It pointed out that women should participate in decision making process at all levels. Lastly, The Forum adopted appeals with the following recommendations sent to the relevant ministries in Japan:

1. Prioritise protection of human rights irrespective of nationality, sex, age, with/without disabilities. Also, ensure participation of women in decision making in pre and post disaster management, particularly:
• Ensure participation of women in management level since it is essential to include women’s expertise in disaster prevention and reconstruction work;
• Set clear numerical goals, time span and substantive strategies in the planning;
• Consult with women’s network for expertises in local level;
• Conduct training on gender equality to the staff of disaster management;
• Assign women to the front line of the rescue and community reconstruction activities, if necessary;
• Make sure facilities of temporary shelters are accessible for people with disabilities;
• Ensure right to adequate housing of persons who lost houses in the disaster;
• Provide support, including financial support, to individuals, not to the head of household;
• Provide psycho-social counseling for female survivors.

2. Include measures to prevent violence against women (domestic and sexual violence) in disaster management planning. Reports show that violence against women increases in the disaster situations.
• In the reconstruction programme, priority should be given to restoring street lights in towns so as to minimise crime, particularly women from sexual violence at night;
• Disseminate information on how to divert stress to prevent men from committing domestic violence as basic information as well as how to purify water for drink or how to distinguish the fire;
• Increase the services of hotline, counseling, and one-stop centres and support centres for rape victims;
• Create a system for victims of sexual violence to safely report her case and receive relevant support without being further harassed and humiliated by the police.

3. Ensure to include women in the management of shelter and temporally houses, and consider the following:
• Include in a manual of disaster management a) designing of shelter camps sensitive to women’s needs (eg. rooms for breast feeding, nursery centres, fitting rooms and bathrooms separately from those for men), b) participation of women as service providers, c) women’s needs supplies, d) shelter camps and counseling services sensitive to women’s needs;
• Take measures to protect women and children from sexual violence by considering the location of the bathrooms and patrolling the shelter camps;
• Ensure the space for cooking and laundry;
• Set up women’s health care clinics in shelter camps, including pre and post natal care;
• Provide multi lingual and pictorial sign and information boards;
• Take measures to prevent disaster relief workers getting depressed and suicidal.

4. Provide special support to mothers with new born babies and prevent child abuse through providing counseling, support and medical check-ups for both mothers and children in shelter camps and at home.

5. Ensure that women do not lose their job:
• Ensure that both men and women are able to take a “disaster” leave so that they can share care work for children or elderly people;
• Provide legal aid to women wrongfully dismissed in the disaster aftermath;
• Provide immediate financial support and job opportunities for single mothers and women who lost their jobs.

6. Provide adequate support for marginalised women:

• Provide financial support to rehabilitate dilapidated apartment buildings mainly inhabited by elderly single women;
• Ensure that relief supply and information reach all victims, including people with disabilities;
• Provide support sensitive to women of sexual minority.