In times of natural disasters, women and girls often face sexual harassment and sexual violence. Sadly the typhoon in the Philippines is no different.
“Just surviving in the aftermath of a major disaster like Typhoon Haiyan can be testing enough.
But amid the large scale devastation and rush to get international aid to those who need it the most – hampered so far by severe rain and damaged infrastructure – there is one other, sadly inevitable, problem that is much less talked about. And it has the British Government deeply worried.
“We are concerned about the safety of women and girls in the Philippines,” an aide to Justine Greening, Britain’s international development secretary, who is helping to coordinate the UK’s response to the crisis, said last night.
“After previous emergencies in the Philippines, we have seen an increase in violence against women and girls and in particular the trafficking of girls.”
It is unthinkable to most of us that as well as having to contend with the basic human need of finding food and water, shelter for you and your family and medicine to prevent disease spreading or treat those with wounds, hundreds of thousands of women and girls will face the very real risk of violence, including sexual exploitation and abuse, rape, forced marriage and trafficking…
Greening and the UK Government believe that violence against women and girls is life-threatening; and international aid effort should prioritise protection in the same way it would prioritise food and shelter.
