Dilruba Haidar, Programme Specialist for Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Humanitarian Action at UN Women, discusses women’s sanitation during disasters, privacy in disaster shelters, and policy incentives and implications in an exclusive interview with Dhaka Tribune’s Muhammad Ibrahim Mojid.
Dhaka Tribune: How are women, especially girls, affected by disasters?
Dilruba Haidar: In any disaster, women and girls are the most affected. After a disaster, they are often displaced from their homes and moved to community shelters. When they are in such spaces, their safety and security become a major concern.
Even when they return to their homes, which are often severely damaged and dilapidated, safety and security remain significant issues. They live in constant anxiety, and many times, they are victims of various forms of violence.
Water and sanitation are also concerns. Sanitation facilities are often submerged, so women can't use the available latrines. Research has shown that many women refrain from defecating or relieving themselves during the day and wait until after dark, leading to urinary tract infections and other health problems.
In many cases, they cannot access latrines at all. I visited areas affected by Cyclone Remal, where women told me they had to use latrines in marketplaces or nearby mosques because their latrines were underwater. This situation is uncomfortable and distressing. I can’t imagine having to go to a marketplace every time I need to use a latrine.
These are very gender-specific issues, as men don’t typically face the same challenges.
So how can we ensure privacy for girls in flood shelters or other shelters?
The design and management of shelters are crucial. There is a policy that women should have separate spaces in shelters, and many new shelters are being built with separate compartments for men and women.
However, in reality, families tend to stay together when they move into shelters, which includes male family members like brothers, husbands, and fathers. As a result, men and women often share the same space, making women feel uncomfortable.
To ensure privacy, women must be involved in the shelter management committees. Their involvement ensures that men and women are kept in separate spaces, addressing these concerns. Women's engagement in shelter management is essential.
Do you think the government or NGOs should subsidize sanitary napkins?
It’s not just about NGOs. There should be a government policy that subsidizes sanitary napkins or produces them at a low cost.
Low-cost sanitary napkins are already being produced by different NGOs. In the Rohingya camps, for example, we’ve seen reusable sanitary napkins being used. These products need to be popularized and produced on a larger scale so that their prices can come down.
Subsidies don’t always work. We need to find ways to make sanitary napkins cheaper and more reusable.
Making policy is one thing, but implementing it is another. How can we ensure policy implementation?
Policies must be supported by incentives, which should be part of the policy itself.
For example, if the government provides benefits to companies that produce reusable sanitary napkins, these companies would be more motivated to follow the policy.
Incentives, along with technical capacity development, are essential for successful policy implementation.
You are a successful woman. Do you have any advice for girls who aspire to be in a position like yours one day?
I come from a very ordinary family, and I’m just a regular girl who decided to keep moving forward. Any girl can do the same. It’s in every girl. Every human being and every girl has the potential within herself. She just needs to believe and challenge the narrative that “women are weak.”
Women must break free of the cycle of disempowerment by questioning the narratives surrounding them. Society often puts women in difficult positions, but these narratives must be challenged, and women must share their own stories. The Internet can be a powerful tool for women to share their stories and empower themselves.