Red Crescent launches forum to safeguard Pakistani women in disasters

Forum aims to shed light on the plight of Pakistani women during natural and human-induced disasters

Red Crescent Pakistan launched a landmark women’s forum on Wednesday at its headquarters in Islamabad to shed light on the plight of women during disasters.

"It is a platform for members to participate in awareness drives on health, education programmes and to strive for greater empowerment of women,” Dr Saeed Elahi, the chairman of Pakistan Red Crescent said.



Red Crescent is a humanitarian organisation which helps people affected by earthquakes, floods, landslides and manmade catastrophes.

The forum which started on the first day of the internationally-recognised 16 days of activism to prevent gender-based violence aims to address the experiences of Pakistani women who are constantly at risk at times of disasters, whether natural or human induced. For many women, early warnings and healthcare needs are not met with while they are at home.

Nabeela, a 35-year-old from Chakoti in Azad Kashmir, which was the worst-affected area during the devastating 2005 earthquake, said she was very excited about the initiative. “The Red Crescent is the light at the end of the tunnel for many women like me. We now have a platform to share the issues that we face during and after a disaster.”



“I am very happy and excited about this initiative, and my past experience with Pakistan Red Crescent as a volunteer was very fruitful for me and my family. We lost everything and were shifted to a tent village where the Red Crescent started a vocational training centre which trained hundreds of girls. It gave us real hope. We women still have a lot of issues and I will actively engage my community under the umbrella of the Women's Forum,” she added.

Red Crescent notes that there have been many celebrated gains for women in Pakistan on primary education equity and maternal health. However, the ever-present threat of disasters means that women still face humanitarian challenges.

The forum will focus on the special measures for gender justice, diversity, and equality, and women’s and girls’ empowerment especially for those living in remote, underdeveloped, environmentally challenged or disaster prone areas.



Members of the forum will learn about diverse issues such as women's reproductive health rights, economic empowerment, vulnerability in disasters, gender bias and discrimination.