To add to the grief of losing loved ones, anguish from homelessness and the constant fear of aftershocks, girls and women have to go through the trauma of sexual mistreatment. News of numerous young women being molested and raped by men in shared tents is common. There have also been countless instances of sexual harassment and rape under the guise of help to the displaced victims and caring for the young. Over 300,000 families across the country, rendered homeless by the quake, have been forced to live communally in open, makeshift shelters.
The situation is worse in Sindhupalchowk and Gorkha where over 90 percent of houses have been damaged beyond repairs, leaving entire villages in ruins. In such a scenario, young girls and women are at elevated risk of sexual violence.The social and political mess following the quake has also exacerbated the risk of trafficking of young girls and women. Trafficking was common even before the quake. Nepal has been classified as a Tier 2 country by a US State Department report, meaning that the country's laws against human trafficking are less than satisfactory. About 15,000 girls from Nepal are trafficked for sex trade in various Asian countries every year, according to UN. The figure is expected to rise dramatically in the aftermath of the quake as tens of thousands of displaced families are now in desperate need of economic opportunities to make ends meet.
Amidst impeded livelihood and worsening living conditions, people are now highly likely to give up their women and children to conniving traffickers who falsely promise better lives and good money. In stark contrast, victims end up being severely exploited and abused. While most girls find themselves working as prostitutes, others are sold as domestic slaves in India and other countries. Also, as numerous children have been orphaned by the quake, without any parental care or control, the risk is all the more pertinent.
Instances of child marriage are also likely to soar. Girls are more likely to be married off at an early age for multiple reasons pertaining to post-emergency situations and underlying cultural norms: they may have lost both parents, they were perhaps sent away by their families to reduce their economic burden, their schools may have been destroyed or their families believed they would be safer if they were married off. The child brides are, consequently, more prone to sexual and domestic abuse as well as impaired physical and mental health. According to the country's laws, one can only get married after reaching 18 years of age, if marrying with the consent of guardians. Although criminalized by law and penalized with up to Rs 10,000 in fine and three years of imprisonment, child marriages are likely to increase.
Further, the condition of pregnant women and lactating mothers with neonates in the wake of the quakes has been appalling. These women require a host of medical services including antenatal care, safe delivery services and postpartum care, all of which have been seriously jeopardized amidst the chaos and destruction. Many women have now lost access to essential reproductive healthcare services leading to increased chances of mortality during pregnancy and delivery-related complications. Left with inadequate food and water supply and no medical or sanitary resources, still others are at risk of malnourishment, impaired mental health and of contracting infectious diseases.
Undeniably, it is remarkable how the entire nation came together soon after the quake as volunteers and relief workers scrambled to deliver food, medicine and sanitary material as well as shelter equipment to the needy. However, the condition of women in general and young women in particular remains precarious.
It is important that the state and the society realized that young girls and women face a wide range of problems. As such, rebuilding and rehabilitation should take heed of the uniquely precarious position young girls and women. The onus to keep our girls and women safe and secure is not only with government authorities but also with each and every one of us. We must acknowledge the pressing need to protect the rights of girls and women and uphold their safety, not as trivial and optional, but as essential and compelling intervention.
While India has just sparked off the laudable "selfie with daughter" campaign in an attempt to raise awareness to save and educate daughters, we must also make a conscious effort to understand and tend to the needs and aspirations of our women and daughters during these difficult times.
The author is a law student
thapa.sudeshna@gmail.com
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