Women's Activism in Flood Mitigation with a Look at the Sendai Framework (Case Study: 2020 Floods)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. student of Women's Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Women's Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Human Rights and Environment, Faculty of Law, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Flooding is a worrying issue for society's development and requires the government's attention and the people's participation. For this reason, the United Nations always tries to help reduce the vulnerability of communities and empower them by approving various documents. In the meantime, the latest document approved by the United Nations called the Sendai Framework, provides solutions for the transition from climate risks. Iran is also one of the flood-prone countries in the world. Floods affect many people due to their high extent, but the gender consequences of floods are not neutral, and women are more vulnerable to disasters than men. During the 2020 flood, which was one of the biggest floods in Iran's history, women were also heavily involved. This research, which was conducted using the qualitative content analysis method, was conducted with the aim of investigating the destructive effects of floods on women and providing existing solutions based on the Sendai framework. The research data showed that economic damage, lack of education and information, lack of women's participation, health-related problems, and social damage were some of the special issues of women in floods. Therefore, by relying on the guiding principles of the Sendai framework, which includes the economic and social empowerment of women, the use of indigenous knowledge of local women, the support of women experts and researchers, future harm can be prevented. Therefore, it is suggested that women's needs and capacities should be given special attention in policy-making.

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