On a roughly month basis, our project team interact with narrators based in the field site communities. These narrators share with us their insights into the violence experienced by women in their communities including but not limited to the field sites. Over time these insights will paint a picture of what is happening, and whilst we have kept all names anonymous, these stories give powerful evidence of the types of trauma and physical violence that women experience in the months after an environmental disaster.
The stories detailed below were told by adult community members and full ethical approval and consent for their publication was granted. Their real names have not been used in this article. The research project has a robust referral mechanism with follow up procedures to ensure no unintended harm occurs as a result of the data collection.
Background and Introduction to Displacement Narratives
Listen first to the short interview that follows with Sumeera Shrestha from the project team. She shares her initial thoughts on the situation at the field sites and tells us about the plans we have for working with ‘displacement narrators’.
Violence against women around Biratnagar
Before we look at cases that have direct connection to the flooding, it is important to pick up on other cases our narrators mentioned, which highlight major issues of violence against women in Morang District.
For example, we heard about a case where a woman was forced to live with the family of a boy who made her pregnant, but the boy didn’t want to accept her or the child. The family starved and beat her to the extent that she was admitted to hospital. The poor girls’ family sold all their livestock to fight her case, but nothing has improved.
In another case a disabled daughter of a couple who sold alcohol, was physically assaulted and repeatedly raped by a regular customer of her who was 50 years of age. The daughter was unable to speak, and she became pregnant by this man, but despite a case being raised, as yet she has not received any support or compensation from the man.
Another woman suffered attempted rape by neighbours as she was walking back from her maternal home. Instead of supporting her both her husband and the family members started blaming her. Despite the incident being reported to the police, the perpetrators ran away, and after a year the man most responsible came back and made contact with the woman and her family. Her family and husband became physically violent towards her and asked her to leave, so she is now facing the further trauma of being on her own but every day seeing the perpetrator of the violence roaming freely in her community.
Morang District Field Sites
In Morang District, the project is focussed on two sites near the city of Biratnagar in Musaharbasti and Khaptole. Both these sites have suffered from severe flooding, which meant that families and community members became displaced at least temporarily. In most cases, the community members who are Dalits, are very poor and they are seeking to rebuild their homes. The communities have stayed together but the temporary living conditions pose new challenges. The cases that follow illustrate how disaster and displacement can make matters even worse for women, resulting in double trauma.
Challenges on the day of disaster
The trauma of the flood creates its own challenges situations for women. For example, one pregnant 18 year-old woman, who had no help, had to rush around rescuing livestock and collecting utensils and belongings as her home became destroyed by the flood. She ended up giving premature birth after 7 months as a result of the disaster and her baby continues to suffer from health complications, as the young woman tries to rebuild her life and home.
Repercussions for the family
Another woman, from Sispanitole has a drunkard husband and two sons. Her house, which was just made of mud, was flooded and destroyed. At the time of the flood her family took temporary shelter in a school building, and up to now she is living in a temporary shed made of one layer of bricks and a roof structure which could crash down at any time. Her son who used to study in grade 11 stopped studying after the flood as he is ashamed he doesn’t have a house, and now he is keeping bad company, going to dance bars and roaming around aimlessly. The woman has been stealing bricks and stones from a nearby Government road construction project and piling them near her place to use, but these are being stolen by others. She is in a desperate situation and lacks any meaningful support.
No security from intruders
During the period of displacement whole families are living in tents. In Khaptole, these are
structured with slight walls made up of hay and the entry door is a piece of plastic. At night around and inside the tents there is little light.
In one of the cases reported, a man, who had been drinking alcohol, entered the tent occupied by a woman and her young children late at night, and attempted to rape her. He was arrested and made to clean the jail, but after one day he was released with no further action taken.
Young relationships going wrong
The final two cases illustrate how the impact of the flooding affects young people. The first is the story of two teenagers from Dalit families who were neighbours but ended up sharing a tent with their families after the flood. The lack of restrictions in the tent, and comings and goings meant it was easier for them to have a sexual relationship. The girl became pregnant and the boy ran away frightened by the potential family response. The young girl was sent to her relatives’ house but since she was already 5 months pregnant abortion was not possible. A police case followed, and they are back together with support from their families, but both are below the legal age of marriage (which is 20 in Nepal) so no marriage can be registered yet and consequently the birth registration of the child is also not possible. The treatment of boy’s family towards the girl is good, though her situation and that of the child remain very insecure.
In a contrasting case, a 14 years-old Dalit girl from the flood affected area was taken to India by three boys, and one of the boys who was from a rich ‘SahaTeli’ family married her.
The girl got pregnant, but then the boy ran away. Due to their ages the marriage is illegal. The boy’s family don’t want him married to the girl because she is Dalit, poor and living in temporary. Ironically, the father of the boy was the former chair of Child protection committee in the Village. The girl’s family are trying to make a case, which has been filed at the ‘ward level’ but little is likely to happen as they have no money to pursue this.
Key points
These narrated cases make it clear that there are already very serious incidents of violence against women, prevalent in and around this community, that have no direct association with the flooding and displacement. However, reviewing some of these shocking cases also highlights how the flooding and displacement has made matters worse. It is evident that
- Temporary shelter creates greater exposure to risks such as rape, or violence from men who have been drinking
- The greater access youth have to one another when homes are destroyed, leads to increased likelihood of under-age sexual relationships and illegal marriages that can leave young girls in a desperate and life changing situation
We will learn more from our ‘displacement narrators’ in the months to come, but if these cases are indicative of the nature of the problems then it is already evident that:
- Great support for establishing safe temporary shelter for those displaced is needed
- Financial and other support for quickly rebuilding homes for those who are poor and lack means to do this, is essential to provide longer term security both from future disaster and from exposure to violence
- A much better response is needed from the police and those who seek to provide legal is needed for women who are flood victims and also face the further trauma of exposure to violence.
- Counselling for those who have been displaced is essential, and could help contribute to the reduction of incidents, as well as supporting victims
- Alcohol (and money being mis-used to purchase alcohol) leads to violence against women who have been displaced due to the flood