Flood Aftermath: UN Draws Attention to Special Needs of Women and Children

On 5 September 1998, the United Nations Secretary General launched an appeal for emergency relief and immediate rehabilitation for the flood affected people of Bangladesh. The international response has been encouraging, at over $150 million of commitments so far. The flood waters in Bangladesh are now receding. After the longest and most severe deluge in the country's history, the United Nations wishes to focus special attention at this time on the health and nutritional well-being of the millions of people affected. Of particular concern is the status of women and children.
15 million women and children have been severely affected by the floods. Displaced from their homes, the fortunate ones have been living in flood shelters, with meagre resources available to them to secure adequate supplies of food and drinking water. After three months of crowded shelters or rudimentary cover, they are now returning to homes that are often totally destroyed, without access to drinking water or sanitation.

This is a time of crisis for women and children because the floods have weakened even further their vulnerable position in society. In terms of their empowerment, access and entitlements to resources, this year's flood has been a devastating setback because it has destroyed assets, homesteads and livestock and undermined women's creditworthiness for microfinance support from Government and NGO sources. The floods gravely threaten the nutritional status of women and children in a situation where 90 per cent of all children are already malnourished; 30-50 per cent of all children are born with low birth weight and 53 per cent of all women are malnourished under normal conditions. There is now an increased susceptibility to a range of food and water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid, and cholera, as well as skin infections and malaria. Outbreaks of measles had occurred in shelters, and a crash immunisation programme in underway. Exposure to cold water has resulted in increasing chest infections in children. As part of its earlier appeal for assistance, the United Nations emphasises the need to help meet the shelter, safe water and environmental sanitation, nutrition, and health needs of women and children, and especially for pregnant women. The purpose is to provide enhanced and expanded immunisation coverage and primary health care; to restore water supply and sanitation in all flood affected areas; and to support poor women and women who head their households with food assistance and access to micro-finance.

The needs of all those affected by the floods are great at this time, but the needs of women and children are especially acute and urgent because of their vulnerability. The international community is urged to try to find the means to make special contributions for this important requirement, through governmental and non-governmental channels, or through the UN system.