Mercy Global Concern - 2005

Mercy Global Concern: Briefing Paper Number 1, March 2005

Mercy Global Concern- Men’s Stories

During the Forty-Ninth Session on the Status of Women – 28 February to March 11 2005 UNIFEM Executive Director, Noeleen Heyzer chaired a panel which heard the voices of men after the tsunami disaster which claimed thousands of lives. While there was a magnificent global response to one of the greatest disasters in the history of the nations, we are, said Dr. Heyzer, at a critical moment from relief to cleanup and implementing the lessons learned.

• In the re-selttlement there must be local voices and local engagement.

• Dislocated people cannot be placed in barracks. Settlements must be linked to livelihood.

• Women and girls in camps have very different needs to men and boys.

• There can be no development without peace and no peace without development.

• There is a lot of rhetoric in relation to gender but we are seeing a lack of perspective.

• The tsunami has drawn attention to a terrible disaster but need to ask why conventions were never implemented.

Speaking as a survivor Sunila Abeysekera, Sunila told Men’s stories. Why?

1. More women died and now men are telling the story of what they witnessed when they survived. Women and girls do not climb trees or learn to swim in Sri Lanka as both are considered unlady like.

2. When the first water struck, the women stopped to help the elderly and children. As a result many women’s corpses were found clinging to children and elderly corpses. Women have learned all their lives to ‘take care’ of children and the elderly. This cost many of them their lives.

3. The Islamic Shariah dress code implemented in 2002 forbids women to wear trousers. This meant that women and girls could not run as quickly to get to higher ground.

4. When the first waves came ashore, it caused many to be stripped of their clothing. Women did not dare to run in their nakedness.

Now the men and boys are saying... there is something wrong with the way we bring up our girls and how we treat our women. Now in many Muslim and Tamil communities the men are asking – “How can we make things different?”

Just to give an example: in refugee camp called Camp Pidie of the 750 survivors only 40 are female. Will the lessons learnt be implemented? That is the question.

Impact of the Tsunami Disaster on Women Migrant Workers

A joint UN and International Organization for Migration (IOM) team conducted an assessment mission in January of the impact of the Tsunami disaster on female migrant workers in the Phuket, Phanghga, Ranong and Krabi provinces of Thailand.
According to national statistics in 2004, roughly half of the populations of registered workers in Thailand are female, with primary ethnicities being Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian. Accurate figures are hard to come by because the number of undocumented workers is difficult to access. Persons without legal status are typically subject to arrest and deportation by the Thai authorities, which has led to grave difficulties for Tsunami survivors who are illegal migrant workers – many are estimated to be in hiding due to the fear of deportation and discrimination. It is estimated that at least 10,000 migrant workers were affected directly or indirectly by the tsunami, the majority of whom are employed in the fishery, construction, and tourism industries..

In the immediate aftermath of the Tsunami, direct emergency relief aid was made available to migrant workers and their dependents. Since then, it has become increasingly difficult for them to access further assistance.

The assessment team’s recommendation include providing direct humanitarian assistance to migrant workers and their families through NGO networks, keeping in mind the specific needs of women ad children.. The team is suggesting a temporary suspension of arrests and deportations and that women wh have lost income-earning family members during the tsunami are paid, and both registered and unregistered workers should be given the opportunity to identify and claim the bodies of deceased family members through DNA testing.

Deirdre Mullan, rsm