Kathmandu. Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Krantishikha Dhital has urged the government to give priority to the safety, privacy and dignity of women and children while managing relief and rescue in flood and landslide-affected areas.
Speaking in the House of Representatives meeting on Wednesday, Dhital said that there was a huge loss of life and property in 49 wards of five districts when the Bhotekoshi river overflowed in Rasuwa on August 26. She said that around 4,000 affected people are now dependent on the holding center due to the rescue and relief from the government and community level.
Dhital said that many affected people are still out of contact with the outside world due to the floods, the risk of epidemic has increased due to the lack of proper management of the dead livestock. She stressed the need to adopt sensitivity in relief management, saying the safety of women and children would be more challenging during a disaster.
“Amid all these crises, there is another dreadful crisis — a crisis for the safety and dignity of women and children,” Dhital said.
She said that sharing the same room with strangers could pose an additional risk to the safety of women and children, urging the people to be aware of the need to create more insecurity in the name of rescue and relief.
According to UN Women data, about 160,000 women are affected by floods in Nepal, and Dhital said that women and children are disproportionately affected by disasters. She said that along with the risk of violence and exploitation, they also face the additional burden of water, care and livelihood.
Dhital said that a huge amount of money has been collected in the relief fund through the voluntary support of the citizens and it should be mobilized effectively and temporary shelter should be arranged immediately. She stressed the need to keep the affected families together as much as possible and expedite the work of social rehabilitation along with rescue and relief.
“Putting them in a position where they can stand on their own feet with dignity is another reality of relief,” Dhital said.
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