The accounts that follow are from the study site selected near Kathmandu, where many people in the community were displaced following the terrible earthquake that took place in April 2015.
The stories detailed below are from our study of the Shankarapur Municipality site and 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.
Trauma and tragedies after the earthquake
Three cases reported to us are harrowing stories of the impact of the post disaster context on three young women of school age, all of whom committed suicide.
We do not wish to recount the details of the cases here, but it is clear that life post the earthquake became intensely difficult in a number of ways, placing additional strains on relationships and mental health which clearly became just too much to bear. Whilst we cannot comment on the extent to which the earthquake has led to increased suicide among girls / young women, it is clear that they are in a vulnerable situation where home life and community support systems that could perhaps have helped them, are likely to be have been severely disrupted.
The added strain and tension of trying to survive in a post-earthquake situation heightens conflict and inequalities already prevalent in the lives of women and girls. In other words, pre-earthquake challenges become intensified in a post disaster context. These cases highlight the need to reach out to young women who are clearly at risk of extreme actions in post disaster scenarios such as Nepal’s earthquake.
The cases that now follow highlight the impact of alcohol, sexual violence and legal issues, all of which present even bigger potential challenges for women following a major natural disaster.
Alcohol, polygamy and violence
Case 1: Ram of Shankarapur has a wife and three children. They were all living together but he was an alcoholic and was perpetually violent against his wife. After the earthquake they lived in a temporary shelter as their house had collapsed. They received limited compensation but instead of using the money to build a house, he married another woman who is his wife’s younger sister. They now live together and there are fights every day. Government has recognised polygamy as a crime, but the practice is still high in the Nepal context. The research team have ensured that local mobilisers are aware and every attempt to support this woman is being made.
Case 2: Mamata, lives in Indrayeni and has a son and a daughter in her family. For the past 16 years she has been a victim of domestic violence. Despite facing a lot of hardship, she has been able to look after her son, daughter and husband. Her husband has not worked regularly and any money he earns is always spent on alcohol. After drinking he comes home chasing after his wife, beats her and denies her food. He snatches her food and throws it away. Due to all the hard work she does she has been able to send her children to school for their studies. Her only son is suffering from heart disease and he faints time and again. She normally takes him to Gangalal hospital which specialises in cardiac treatment and surgery.
At the time of the earthquake she was living with her family in a tent on their farming land. After the earthquake the situation changed for them. The daily hassle and arguments increased significantly, and her husband was drunk all day and night. Due to his alcoholism she was beaten frequently. He didn’t allow her to go to speak to any villagers and if any villagers came to separate them he would continue beating her and go after the villagers as well. Her situation has not changed.
She wants to send her daughter to college and also wants to cure her son but is not able to do so. Her husband asks for her money for alcohol and she has to give it to him. Consequently, she is economically weak, and also emotionally vulnerable because she is a victim of domestic violence and also very worried about her son.
Loss of citizenship and rights
Case 3: Radha, who it thirty five years old, used to live at Jorpati in a rented room. Her two sons were also born there. Somehow, she managed to work hard and to look after her family. Suddenly, one day her husband vanished. They looked for him everywhere for a couple of months, but they couldn’t find him. After this incident, she took her two sons and went to her mother’s home in Shankarpur Pukhulachi. As Anita’s husband was lost, she stayed with her parents, but they were unable to earn for the family, so she used to work and look after her family. Her relatives and neighbours didn’t like her and for this reason they used to pull her hair and quarrel with her. When she used to go to fetch water from the local tap people would throw her utensils, pull her hair and pass negative comments.
Her parent’s home was destroyed by the earthquake on Baisakh 12, 2072 B.S. (Nepali calendar), Anita and her sons had to stay in a temporary house. One of her sons was injured during the earthquake, and her citizenship card was lost in the rubble so she can’t prove her citizenship. Since she is a married woman the authorities are restricting her from establishing her citizenship through her parents, and the Village Development Committee (VDC) and the Central District Office (CDO) won’t provide her with proof of her citizenship. She is also unable to obtain birth certificates for her two son’s because she doesn’t have her own citizenship. She is living a very hard life unable to access formal employment due to her lack of citizenship. Her sons’ futures are vulnerable as they do not have citizenship. Her injured son needs medication that she cannot buy for him.
Sexual violence, humiliation and legal hurdles
Case 4: Ratnaa originally came from Kavre, and was married at 16 years old, to a man she loved. For the first few months of her marriage, she had a good relationship with her husband and they had two children. However, after a few months, she started experiencing sexual violence from her husband. Whatever the time of day, she had to be ready to have sexual relations and intercourse whenever her husband demanded. During her pregnancy and even a few days after giving birth, she had to engage in sexual intercourse, which led to a deterioration in her sexual reproductive health.
She tried to resist, but she had to bear the torture, as she feared that everyone would know, and this would be a matter of shame. They migrated to Kathmandu and started living here, but her husbands’ behaviour still remained the same even after they have been married for 16 years. The situation got worse after the earthquake. They had to live under a common tent, still experiencing daily sexual violence. She felt ashamed by her husband’s behaviour, as he would force her to have sex in front of their grown up kids, she would be beaten if she resisted. There were many families living under the tent and everyone would see this behaviour which made her feel ashamed. By now everyone knew about her husband’s behaviour towards her and even her children wanted her to have a divorce. She had nowhere to run but decided to file a case of intimate partner violence and marital rape, but the authorities mediated, and she was silenced. Recently a year ago, she filed a case for divorce but didn’t claim for the property. She is now divorced and living separately.
Reflections on these cases
The stories above convey horrific real experiences of suffering that have to be learned from. As policymakers, practitioners or citizens we have to ask ourselves:
- How can we better protect and support young women suffering mental trauma following natural disasters?
- How can the legal services be improved for women who are vulnerable after a natural disaster, whether this arises through sexual violence, polygamy, loss of proof of citizenship or some other issue that affects their security?
- How post disaster temporary shelter better address the needs of women for both privacy and safety?