2015 Earthquake Data
On 25 April 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Central and Western Regions of Nepal. The earthquake, which has been followed by a series of aftershocks, led to significant loss of life, injuries and damage of buildings and infrastructure. As of the final UN OCHA Humanitarian Bulletin in September 2015 , the Government reported that 8,891 people have died (55% of which were women) and 14,355 people have been injured. The number of destroyed homes is reported to be 605,254 and damaged homes 288,255.
According to UN Women estimates, the 14 most affected districts4 (Bhaktapur, Dhading, Dolakha, Gorkha, Kavrepalanchwok, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Nuwakot, Ramechhap, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchwok, Makawanpur, Sindhuli and Okhaldhunga) include approximately 2,710,239 women (50.5% of population) 327,000 female-headed households (26.5% of households), 40,000 women with disabilities, 163,000 women over the age of 65 years (6% of female population), 764,000 girls aged 14 or under (28% of female population), and 795,000 women and girls who are illiterate (29% of female population).
The Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), which was completed in June 2015 under the leadership of Nepal’s National Planning Commission assessed the impact of the earthquake and formulate a recovery strategy covering restoration of livelihoods, economy and services and the reconstruction of housing and infrastructure. The PDNA recognises that women are among the most vulnerable of those affected by Nepal’s earthquake . The findings reveal that the widespread loss of food stocks, loss in crop productivity, loss of livestock and small-scale enterprises “will likely cause severe income shock for women who rely on this sector.” It also reveals that women’s narrow asset base, burden of domestic work, limited access to economic resources, and lack of alternate livelihoods will mean that “recovery for women take longer than for men.” The PDNA also acknowledges that the destruction of houses and household assets as had a particularly negative bearing on gender equality and social inclusion and that the destruction of water supply and sanitation facilities has also had an especially adverse impact on women and girls. It draws the conclusion that women have a unique capacity to drive resilience building of communities and that recovery and reconstruction programmes present an “opportunity to reduce the vulnerability of women and increase gender equality.” Assessment findings by humanitarian clusters and across clusters throughout the Nepal earthquake response demonstrated trends of gender discrimination and violence throughout the earthquake aftermath and response.
According to Displacement Tracking Matrix Round 5 (published on 25 November 2015) out of the nearly 40,706 people in 140 displacement sites, 20,690 were female (51%) , 20,016 male and 5,572 were children under 5 years old. The most common type of security incidents reported was by far alcohol/drug related (74%), followed by theft (10%) and friction/dispute (6%) within the community or household. In 85% of sites assessed, people knew who (or where) to report (or seek assistance) when they or their family face any abuse or exploitation in this area. In 83% of the sites assessed, there were either no or inadequate lighting available in communal areas such as around WASH facilities and public spaces. In 79% of the sites assessed, there were no gender segregated latrines. Majority of latrines/bathrooms have no lighting (85%), and more than half had no lock from inside (43%). 86% of sites did not have designated safe / social places for women. The findings from the Community Feedback Project Survey Rounds throughout the humanitarian response period 2 (August 2015) and Round 3 (September 2015), showed thatthe majority of women and men of all ages continued to report not receiving information about relief and services, unequal access to relief services and that their problems were not being addressed. In terms of access to information and services, in August more women (77%) than men (69%) of all ages replied negatively– older women above age 55 gave the highest ratio of negative responses (87%), closely followed by older men above 55 of age (82%). In August and September 2015, the Common Feedback Project partnered with UNFPA and UN Women to carry out targeted perception surveys with a total of 32 women in the UNFPA supported Reproductive Health Camp in Dolakha district and 300 women in three UN Women supported Multi-Purpose Women’s Centres in Kavre, Sindhupalchowk and Nuwakot. The UN Women perception survey findings showed that 52% of women respondents felt there was an increase in tensions and risk of violence or harassment since the earthquake. The women reported that the increased tension and violence was mainly perpetrated by community and family members, closely followed by strangers. 53% of women respondents reported that access or engagement with local or government or humanitarian agencies has diminished since the earthquake, mainly due to lack of physical access, stakeholders not listening, or women feeling too traumatized or a lack of energy to engage. Overall women respondents reported an increase in the care work time use burden with 69% of women reporting an increase in time spent on child and elderly care, 51% reported an increase in time spent on fetching water, 63% of women reported an increase in time spent on cooking and cleaning. On the other hand, 68% of women reported a decrease in time spent on paid work and 72% of women reported a decrease in time spent sleeping and resting. The UNFPA survey findings showed that 48% of women respondents feel they have not received any support in staying safe following the earthquake and 48% of women responded that they have not been able to access services or information specific to their needs, reporting that their main needs are: how to stay safe during pregnancy and keep children safe, proper sanitation practice and disposal of menstrual pads, news on government and NGOs services and decisions and shelter support. The Community Feedback Report for October 2015 indicated that 49% of female respondents felt there had been an increase in tensions or risk of violence with community members (36%), local government (26%) and strangers (19%) as the main perpetrators.
According to the Protection Thematic Report (30 July 2015), female representation was lacking in relief coordination and decision-making committees at the community and site level. Widespread damage to WASH infrastructure and displacement of communities has resulted in a lack of adequate segregated sanitation facilities for men, women, and third-gender, increasing the risk of gender-based violence, particularly in spontaneous settlement sites. Approximately 24% of the population does not possess a citizenship certificate, which presents a barrier to accessing government relief services and benefits. Women, low-caste, and minority ethnic groups in particular, face challenges acquiring citizenship documentsThere were anecdotal reports of divorced women, married women living with their parents, and women whose husbands work abroad being excluded from relief.
Report by Inter-party Women’s Alliance (IPWA) launched on 30 July 2015 based on research carried out in 14 earthquake affected districts included the following key findings: 1) Single, unmarried, widowed, divorced and women whose husbands practice polygamy are facing particular problems in accessing government relief, 2) Lack of representation of women in disaster management, 3) Lactating, pregnant and menstruating women facing problems staying in temporary and integrated shelter due to lack of women friendly facilities, 4) Increase in cases of violence against women and girls, women and even girls, 5) Lack of water and toilet facilities in temporary and integrated shelter, 6) Trafficking of women and children with Chitwan as a key transit route, and 7) Cases of men selling relief material to spend money on buying alcohol. According to report “After the Earthquake: Nepal’s Children Speak Out” (27 July 2015) children, especially girls, were facing an increased burden of domestic chores and other tasks to support their parents in ensuring adequate food, shelter and water. The additional work roles reported by boys were more associated with shelter. Girls in particular also reported increased feelings of vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and trafficking including due to the inadequacy and insecurity of tents and other temporary shelters. Girls also reported they were worried they may not be able to return to school because of the increased burden of domestic and other chores since the earthquake, and noted that their parents had become more protective towards them and that this was limiting their freedom to go out and meet with friends (six FGDs).
Maintaining menstrual hygiene in a cramped, shared space was a major concern for adolescent girls. Girls described being embarrassed to change the pads and having nowhere private to wash.People in Need safety assessments highlighted that 65% of women respondents reported feeling “unsafe” while changing their clothes and 81% of women reported feeling “unsafe” when using the toilets because of a perceived increase risk of SGBV.
Two of the eleven schools surveyed lacked gender segregated toilets for girls and an additional four had only one gender segregated toilet for girls. The forest (93%), at night (95%), during menstruation (71%) and at home (65%) were reported to be the places and times where women felt most unsafe. 37% of girl respondents reported that they felt unsafe in schools and 44% while changing their clothes. Girls who slept elsewhere during their periods were more than twice as likely to report they had been raped since the earthquake – 4% compared to 1.7%. 42% respondents reported that alcohol abuse was either “common” or “very common” in their community. This was followed by caste discrimination (30%), gender discrimination (26%), domestic violence (28%), physical violence (28%), and child marriage (20%). When asked what happens and who is involved when a woman in their VDC is sexually harassed, 55% of respondents reported that Mothers Groups (Ama Samuha) are involved, 34% of women respondents reported that the communities resolve the issue, 31% reported that families resolve the issue, and 23% reported that the issue is reported to the police.
The report on the joint assessment on food security, livelihoods and early recovery (November 2015) reported that more than a third (37.3%) of households were hosting vulnerable individuals, including people with disabilities, chronically ill persons and pregnant and/or lactating women. The task of caring for these individuals often falls on women. The proportion of households reporting women as economically inactive (21.8%) was much higher than for men (8.3%); further, a higher proportion of women in urban areas (27.6%) were deemed economically inactive when compared to rural areas (20.7%), owing largely to the widespread practice of agricultural activities. Males aged 17-59 represent the bulk of labour market participation (with nearly 70% of this group reportedly in employment), whilst only half (49.3%) of women in the same age class were reported as working. Male employment rates were the same regardless of whether they resided in rural or urban settings, though female employment rates were generally much higher in rural areas (51.1%) than in urban settings (42.6%) for females aged 17-59. Agriculture was the most commonly reported current income source for both men and women, with a slightly higher proportion of households reporting this as the primary source of income for women (65%) as opposed to men (63%). However, female-headed households were actually less likely to report farming as one of their primary livelihoods and do not have a significantly lower income as a result. Overall, nearly a third (30.6%) of men and a quarter (24.3%) of women reported to have access to a personal bank account; this disparity persists across most districts except for Makawanpur, where a slightly higher proportion of women (39.0%) had access to a bank account.