“Even though the disaster itself doesn’t discriminate, society does, and certain practices within a society can leave women or other groups susceptible to harm,” write Maria Holtsberg, Project Manager at Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and Sarah Martin, consultant on gender-based violence prevention and response in their recent article on Rappler, a popular Filipino news website.

Through examples from the countries of the South and Southeast Asian region, the article discusses how the different roles that men and women play in society can make women more at risk to natural disaster impacts.

“Looking at their [women’s] vulnerabilities and strengths to critically assess the current disaster prevention and response models is key to improving the way that our societies manage natural disaster,” Holtsberg and Martin write.

Read the full article on Rappler.

ADPC in cooperation with Wilton Park recently organized a regional workshop entitled Disaster prevention, preparedness and response in South and Southeast Asia: maximizing a gender-inclusive approach in Manila, Philippines.