Gender & Disaster Displacement

Eva Lanot
Functional Lead, Conflict, Terrorism, and Protection

Peace and Security Division

November 2022

UNCLASSIFIED
AGENDA

• Natural and man-made disasters

• Key concepts in gender and disaster displacement
• Duty bearers and rights holders
 Objectives
• Develop better understanding of disaster risk reduction and its elements
• Explore key concepts related to gender, disaster displacement, and protection

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Slide 3
 Natural and
Man-Made
Disasters

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Slide 4
 Forced Displacement: Disaster-Induced
Forced displacement as a result of
disasters and the adverse impacts of
climate change has been described as
one of the greatest humanitarian
challenges of the 21st century.

Photo Source: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/aug/22/floods-across-india-

ISG nepal-and-bangladesh-claim-more-than-800-lives-south-asia Advancing Knowledge, Building Capacity, Strengthening Partners
Slide 5
 Definition: Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are persons or groups of persons

who:
• Have been forced or obliged to flee their homes or habitual place of residence
• In order to avoid armed conflict, violence, violations of human rights, or
disasters, and
• Who have not crossed an international border.

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Slide 6
 Disaster Risk Reduction
Effective disaster risk reduction
requires the consideration of not
just what has occurred but of Vulnerability
what could occur.

Hazard Exposure

Risk

https://www.preventionweb.net/understanding-disaster-risk/component-risk/disaster-risk
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Slide 7
 What is the difference
between a hazard and a
disaster?

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Slide 8
 Hazard
A hazard is a process, phenomenon or human activity that may cause loss of
life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic
disruption or environmental degradation.

Vulnerability

Hazard Exposure

Risk https://www.preventionweb.net/
understanding-disaster-risk/component-risk/
exposure

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Slide 9
 Vulnerability
The characteristics determined by physical, social, economic and
environmental factors or processes which increase the susceptibility of an
individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards.

Vulnerability

Hazard Exposure

Risk
https://www.preventionweb.net/understanding-
disaster-risk/component-risk/vulnerability
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Slide 10
 Exposure
The characteristics determined by physical, social, economic and
environmental factors or processes which increase the susceptibility of an
individual, a community, assets or systems to the impacts of hazards.

Vulnerability

Hazard Exposure

Risk
https://www.preventionweb.net/understanding-
disaster-risk/component-risk/exposure
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Slide 11
 Vulnerability & Exposure
• Vulnerability and exposure are key determining factors for risk either from
disaster or in situations of displacement

• In a disaster and disaster risk reduction (DRR), we must consider the special
needs of vulnerable populations

• When disaster strikes, the most at risk groups, including persons with
disabilities, are disproportionately impacted

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Slide 12
 Disaster

A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving

widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts,
which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope
using its own resources.

“Disaster is an extreme event that arises when a hazard agent intersects with a
social system.”

Sources:
• https://www.iom.int/key-migration-terms
• Mizrahi, Shlomo. “Cascading disasters, information cascades and continuous time models of domino effects.” International journal of disaster risk reduction : IJDRR vol. 49 (2020): 101672.
doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101672
• Burton I., Kates R., White G. Oxford University Press; New York: 1978. The Environment as Hazard
• Susman P., O'Keefe P., Wisner B. Global disasters, a radical interpretation. In: Hewitt K., editor. Interpretations of Calamity. Allen and Unwin; Boston: 1983. pp. 263–283. /

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Slide 13
 When Does a Hazard Become a Disaster?
• We can prevent hazards from leading to
disasters by helping communities to be
prepared, reduce their risks, and become
more resilient.  

Disasters therefore can and should be

prevented.

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Slide 14
 Resilience
The ability to plan for hazards/threats, and cope and recover from risks so that
they are not experienced as disasters is often referred to as resilience.

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Slide 15
 Who is (or which groups are) particularly
vulnerable or exposed to disaster?

What specific risks might they face during

a disaster owing to their vulnerability and
exposure?

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Slide 16
 Key
Concepts
Relevant to
Gender and
Disaster

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Slide 17
 Removing the Blinders
Natural hazards are gender, age, ability neutral; however, they do not affect all
members of society equally.

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Slide 18
 Intersectionality
Intersectionality
• Not all men or all women’s experiences in
conflict, or in society, are going to be the
same

• Intersectionality can amplify or lessen the risk

experienced during conflict and displacement

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Slide 19
 Gender
• Gender is not static; it responds to changes in the social, political and cultural
environment. This holds true in situations of disaster and displacement.

• Gender is an important cross-cutting issue in disaster.

• Gender dynamics impact both the way women, men, girls, and boys are
affected by disasters and their capacity to withstand and recover from
disasters.

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Slide 20
 How does gender affect the way people
experience disaster?

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Slide 21
 Gender

Gender can determine the degree “Gender inequality compounds

to which an individual has: displacement.”
• Mobility - Women, Peace & Security Index 2021/22 (pg. 53)

• Agency

• Access to resources

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Slide 22
 Gender Differentiated Impacts
Disaster impacts depend on:
• hazard type and intensity,
• exposure (who and what is at risk of being affected),
• levels of vulnerability (susceptibility to damage),
• preparedness and coping capacity.

Gender inequality arises from the expected roles of men and women in a
society, which influence:
• socioeconomic status,
• level of agency, and
• the way men and women prepare for, react to, are impacted by, and recover from,
disasters.
Source: Erman, Alvina; De Vries Robbe, Sophie Anne; Thies, Stephan Fabian; Kabir, Kayenat; Maruo, Mirai.
2021. Gender Dimensions of Disaster Risk and Resilience : Existing Evidence. World Bank, Washington, DC. ©
ISG World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/35202 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO Advancing Knowledge, Building Capacity, Strengthening Partners
Slide 23
 Gender Differentiated Impacts: 2

Impact Factors
Shaped by Gender
Hazard Society
Disaster Dynamics:
Gender
Exposure
Impacts Vulnerability Inequality
Preparedness
Coping Capacity

Source: Erman, Alvina; De Vries Robbe,

Sophie Anne; Thies, Stephan Fabian; Kabir,
Kayenat; Maruo, Mirai. 2021. Gender
Dimensions of Disaster Risk and Resilience :
Existing Evidence. World Bank, Washington,
DC. © World Bank.
Disaster Risk Management
ISG https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/1
0986/35202 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO Advancing Knowledge, Building Capacity, Strengthening Partners
Slide 24
 Snapshot:
Women and
Girls

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Slide 25
 Women and Girls: Displacement
More than half of the world’s
internally displaced population (21
million) are women and girls.

Displacement affects men and women

differently in terms of poverty,
livelihoods, and risks of violence.

Gender-based violence is exacerbated

at times of emergency.
Source: Erman, Alvina; De Vries Robbe, Sophie Anne; Thies, Stephan Fabian; Kabir, Kayenat; Maruo,
Mirai. 2021. Gender Dimensions of Disaster Risk and Resilience : Existing Evidence. World Bank,
Washington, DC. © World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/35202 License: CC BY
3.0 IGO

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Slide 26
 Vulnerability Issues that Reduce Resilience of Women and Girls

Women are given lower priority for Women tend to lack lifesaving skills Women have limited property and
education, health care and nutrition such as swimming and climbing inheritance rights

Women face discrimination in the

labor market, earn less than men, and
often lack access to the formal
economy/often work in the informal
sector
Women are more likely to be victims
Women and girls may be devalued
of intimate partner violence and
over men and boys
sexual and gender-based violence

Source: World Bank Group. 2015. World Bank Group Gender Strategy (FY16-23) : Gender Equality, Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth. World Bank, Washington, DC. © World Bank.
ISG https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23425 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO Advancing Knowledge, Building Capacity, Strengthening Partners Slide 27
 Preparedness Issues that Reduce Resilience of Women and Girls

Women often have less access to Women’s lower levels of education

Women are often left out of disaster
early warnings and lower ability to limit their ability to prepare for and
preparedness
respond respond to disasters

Women’s household responsibilities,

Women are less likely to own a cell including sourcing food and water,
phone can mean that they are not home
when warnings are issued

Source: World Bank Group. 2015. World Bank Group Gender Strategy (FY16-23) : Gender Equality, Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth. World Bank, Washington, DC. © World Bank.
ISG https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23425 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO Advancing Knowledge, Building Capacity, Strengthening Partners Slide 28
 Women and Girls: Displacement
Internal displacement can:
• Amplify pre-existing inequalities
• Place internally displaced girls and women in particularly precarious situations
• Exacerbate gender-based violence—a manifestation of systematic inequality between men
and women

Even though women are in a disadvantage position in society at large, this does
not always translate into worse disaster outcomes for women and girls.

What are some of your ideas on why this may be true?

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Slide 29
 UN Security Council Resolution 1325
• UN resolutions on women, peace and security are particularly important tools
for improving responses to the rights and needs of internally displaced
women.

• UNSC Resolution 1325 is a key example, as evidenced in several the 4 WPS

agenda pillars
o Full and equal participation and representation of women at all levels of decision-making, including
peace-processes

o Specific protection rights and needs of women and girls, including reporting and prosecution of sexual
and gender-based violence

o Access to health services and trauma counseling, including for survivors of sexual and gender-based
violence as part of the provision of relief and recovery
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Slide 30
 Guiding Principles: What Rights Are They Afforded?

Some of the specific rights/guiding principles relevant to women and

girls facing internal displacement
• Non-discrimination and the right of expectant mothers, mothers of young children, and
female heads of household to protection and assistance that “takes into account their
special needs”

• Protection from SGBV and other forms of violence and exploitation 

• The right to access all necessary documents, education and training 

• The need for internally displaced women to actively participate in decision-making at all
stages of displacement 
Source: United Nations Commission on Human Rights. (1998). Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. United Nations
ISG Commission on Human Rights. https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/idpersons/pages/issues.aspx
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Slide 31
 Who Has Responsibility for Protecting
Vulnerable Groups

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Slide 32
 Spectrum of Military Operations

Protection of Civilians Across the Spectrum

of Military Operations
Peacetime Military Peace Operations Armed Conflict
Activities • Conflict Prevention • Limited Intervention
• Humanitarian • Peace Building • Major Combat
Assistance (stability ops) Operations
• Disaster Response • Peacemaking
• Civil Support • Peacekeeping
• Security Cooperation • Peace Enforcement

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Slide 33
 Before: Develop some examples of
preparedness actions that could ensure
more inclusive disaster risk reduction

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Slide 34
 During: Develop some examples of relief
and response actions to ensure more
inclusive disaster risk reduction

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Slide 35
 After: Develop some examples of recovery
actions to ensure more inclusive disaster
risk reduction

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Slide 36
 Which security sector actors are involved
at each stage in the disaster cycle (before,
during, after)?

How do (or how could) the roles and

missions of security sector actors support
inclusive disaster risk reduction?

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Slide 37
QUESTIONS
?
 instituteforsecuritygovernance.org

isginfo@nps.edu

Eva Lanot
ellanot@nps.edu
831.402.3968 @Institute for Security Governance