WHEN IT RAINS…

The 2022 Floods and Challenges for Vulnerable

Communities in Sindh
A Rapid Assessment

AUTHOR: FIELD WORK:

Zameer Awan &
Najam U Din Ishak Soomro

April
2023
This rapid assessment has been produced by The Knowledge Forum (TKF) in collabora-
tion with the Sindh chapter of the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) to
document and advocate for the rights of vulnerable communities affected by the
floods in Sindh following the 2022 monsoon rains.

In this regard, TKF and NCHR appreciate the support of the Community World Service
Asia, a humanitarian and development organisation that seeks to address factors that
divide people by promoting inclusiveness, shared values, diversity,
and interdependence.
National Commission For Human Rights

The National Commission for Human Rights is a federal statutory body set up in 2015. It
is an independent national human rights institution developed under the Paris Princi-
ples. The commission’s judicial mandate includes role as an inquirer, intervener, investi-
gator, and inspector (of jails). NCHR has the powers of a civil court and the ability to take
suo moto action on cases of human rights violations. Its functions also include legal
monitoring, policy advise, knowledge production, and awareness and advocacy.

Website: [Link]

The Knowledge Forum

The Knowledge Forum is an independent organisation that seeks to produce knowled-

ge-based resources to assist in interventions and advocacy for communities’ rights. TKF
has been founded by a group of human rights practitioners, development professionals,
activists and legal experts.

Through high quality research and discourse curation, TKF aims to assist in the creation
of a more informed perspective on complex themes that have a bearing on communi-
ties’ access to rights and participation in political, democratic and development proces-
ses.

Website: [Link]
 Foreword
On behalf of the National Commission for Human Rights, with technical partnership from The
Knowledge Forum, we are presenting a report seeking to assess the layers of discrimination
experienced by the flood-affected communities in the aftermath of the 2022 floods in Sindh.

There is no denying the fact that the 2022 floods in Pakistan were a manifestation of the
ongoing climate crisis that has dragged the country into a cycle of extreme weather conditions,
be it excessive heat or rainfall. The impact of the 2022 floods in the southern province of Sindh
was more pronounced because of the scale of the disaster. Nearly half of the 1,600 deaths recor-
ded in the floods countrywide occurred in Sindh. A significant majority of the two million
houses damaged were in Sindh while 64% of all the roads destroyed due to floods were also in
Sindh.

Despite the obvious damages of the disaster, what remained unattended was the socio-econo-
mic impact of the floods. While the crop damage indicated economic losses for the majority of
Sindh’s two-third population that is dependent on agriculture for livelihood, damages to small
land owners, women family farm workers, and most importantly sharecroppers were never
sufficiently accounted for. Moreover, the multiple layers of marginalisation covering gender,
religious minorities, asset-less farm workers, persons with disabilities, children and older
persons were hardly considered when relief and rehabilitation was organised.

The National Commission for Human Rights has been engaged in the floods discourse since
the beginning of the crisis. The member Sindh office of NCHR led the monitoring of the flood
situation and relief distribution, while also keeping the Commission’s offices open for comp-
laints or suo moto notices regarding relief distribution, as per its mandate. Since its inception,
NCHR has been engaged in eco justice cases and policy advocacy. This includes cases on viola-
tion of environment and ecological rights including the Thar Coal issue and the Nazim Jokhio
case.

In line with its mandate to protect human rights, the NCHR Sindh worked on a set of interven-
tions, with support from the Community World Service Asia (CWS), to advocate the rights of the
vulnerable communities affected by the 2022 floods. The engagement sought to focus on
highlighting the vulnerabilities before, during and after the floods with a view to generate a
human rights-centric discourse around the floods. The current report has been produced under
the same programme. Designed as a rapid assessment based on a field survey, the report seeks
to investigate the vulnerability profile of the flood affectees and discrimination in flood respon-
se (pre-flood, rescue, relief and rehabilitation).

The report complemented outreach efforts with the members of the Sindh Assembly, the
Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the civil society and the media. Multiple sessions
were conducted with the stakeholders to share the findings from the field and stress the need
for designing a relief and rehabilitation framework that is sensitive to the layers of marginalisa-
tion experienced by the vulnerable communities in Sindh.

NCHR is grateful to CWS for project support and The Knowledge Forum for technical assistan-
ce. The collaboration with these two organisations was aimed at highlighting the gaps in
response to climate change events, which are increasingly becoming a reality of the everyday
lives of the citizens of Pakistan. As we slip further down the climate risk spiral, a climate change
response architecture informed by the fundamentals of human rights is the only way forward.

Anis Haroon,
Member Sindh, National Commission for Human Rights
 CONTENTS
TABLE OF
Overview 1

Section I 8
Introduction
2022 Monsoon Floods: The Toll on Sindh
Growing footprint of the climate crisis
Vulnerabilities – past and present

Section II 18
Research methodology
The survey sample

Section III 23
Impressions from the field

Section IV 31
Findings

Section V 34
Conclusions and Recommendations

*All images displayed in the document have been acquired through google search.
OVERVIEW

1
Experiences of
Vulnerabilities
Vulnerabilities of
the displaced: No health facilities
in most of the camps

Faced risk of water borne diseases -

especially for children- as they had to
live close to the areas inundated by large
volumes of stagnant water.
No drinking water, making rainwater
as the only available option.

Lack of drainage in camps.

Pregnant women had no information

or understanding of navigating flood
water to get to safer location.

Displaced persons who were patients

of chronic ailments, diabetes,
hypertension and heart diseases
had no access to their daily
dose of medicines.

Immense psychological stress

as houses and livelihoods
were lost or damaged and
the displaced persons remained
unsure of the future.

2
Elderlies and disabled:

Elderlies and disabled were

dependent on family and fellow
villagers to carry them to
safety from inundated villages.

Gender experiences:

Domestic violence against Women and young girls

women sitting outside their struggled with lack of
tents for fresh air on the menstrual kits, sanitary pads,
pretext of violating purdah. toilets and general
privacy in tents.

Transgender flood affectees There were no special measures

faced harassment and in place to facilitate pregnant
ridicule outside camps women to reach safety during
on account of their gender. floods or take care
of health in the camps.

3
Landless peasants and haris:

With the farms inundated

Landless peasants lived in
with water, their dwellings
mud shelters on the farms
were flattened, forcing
of the landlord where
them to live in open fields.
they provide labour.

No timely aid as the

routes to their
localities were submerged. Livelihood losses as
farmland submerged.

Scheduled castes:

Majority affected people from Floodwater had inundated vast

scheduled castes were tracts of farmland and deprived
dependent on agriculture, working them of their livelihood.
as landless peasants and sharecroppers.

Those working as sharecroppers

Their mud houses were /tenant farmers lost their
brought down by water. investment with
the loss of the crop

Little or no aid reached

their villages as the rains
rendered the roads unusable.

4
Manifestations of discrimination:

Political discrimination reported Some religio-political parties

as affectees complained of being were observed to
denied aid on the basis of their be extending aid to
political affiliation with less only their favoured sects.
favoured groups.

Displaced scheduled caste

families in Shaheed Benazirabad
school were reportedly housed
in the corridors while Muslim
families were given rooms in the school.

5
Deficits in aid: Observations
of flood affectees

No specific measures by the

government or aid agencies
to assist and protect any vulnerable
group, including expectant
mothers, women-headed families,
Lack of meaningful
physically challenged persons,
consultation by the government
unaccompanied children or
or aid organisations with the
transgender persons, and schedule
vulnerable communities to gauge
castes or other religious minorities.
their needs before launching relief
and rehabilitation efforts in Sindh.

No real safeguards by the

government and aid agencies
to prevent discrimination in No effective complaint
relief and rehabilitation mechanism for the
for vulnerable communities. affected people.

6
 The government and aid
agencies had no strategy
The government had no to prioritise help for those
data on newborns, persons with pressing needs in
with disabilities and an emergency.
elderly persons.

Rs.

The relief package announced by Kacha/mud houses of landless

the Sindh government offering peasants were not considered
free seeds did not cover landless for assessment of damage
sharecroppers, majority belonging and payment of compensation.
to scheduled cast.

Needs of women were not

considered important or at par
with the immediate provision
of other relief items such as food.

7
 Section
1

8
 Introduction

Pakistan has been no stranger to natural and delivery. There is considerable differen-
disasters in recent decades. The most ce of opinion on how effectively this infras-
devastating one since the turn of the cen- tructure has managed to pre-empt and
tury has been the 2005 earthquake, which respond to disasters.
claimed nearly 100,000 lives and caused
large-scale devastation. Floods in the Against this backdrop and the available wea-
summer, almost every year, take a toll on ther forecasts, the 2022 monsoon rains and
human life and infrastructure. floods should not have come as a complete
surprise. Yet they caught almost everyone
Then there are the more localised disas unprepared, not least on account of their
ters, such as Glacial Lake Outburst Floo magnitude and impact. The catastrophic
ding (GLOF) in the north, droughts in the floods were accompanied by nearly twice
plains, and sea intrusion in the south-east. the average rainfall in July and more than
Many of these certainly appear to have double the average in August.1
become more frequent and intense amid
changing climate patterns. According to the NDMA, the monsoon rains
and floods killed 1,739 people and injured
The prevailing disaster management infras- around 13,000 between June and mid-No-
tructure in Pakistan largely emerged soon vember 2022.2 Nearly eight million people
after the 2005 earthquake. First to be crea- were displaced. The raging waters dama-
ted was the National Disaster Management ged or destroyed over two million houses.
Authority (NDMA) at the federal level. Its More than 13,000 kilometres of roads, 439
monitoring, coordination and implementa- bridges, 23,900 schools and 1,460 health
tion functions were supposed to deliver facilities were also damaged or destroyed.
timely and effective response to disasters The losses also included 1,164,270 livestock
as well as long-term disaster risk reduction. perished in the floods.
Amendments in the NDMA law towards
the end of 2010 introduced the disaster People with low socioeconomic status
management hierarchy in the provinces are most vulnerable in the aftermath of
and the districts, to improve early warning natural disasters.

2) Floods 2022 Daily Situation Report No 158, 18 November 2022,

1) Pakistan Monsoon 2022 Rainfall Report,Pakistan Meteorological Department, National Disaster Management Authority, [Link]
[Link] storage/app/public/situation-reports/November2022/
Rainfall_Update.htm#:~:text=August%202022,and%20near%20average%20in%20AJK. [Link]

9
The damaging impact of the 2022 floods on Sindh was much worse than any of the earlier
natural disasters in the last twenty years.

At their height, the floods had submer- factors known to contribute to their vulne-
ged a third of the country. Ninety districts rabilities during various stages of a natural
across the country were notified calami- disaster cycle.
ty-hit.
Proactive protection of human rights of
Beyond immediate impact, the conti- the most vulnerable must be an integral
nued submergence of vast areas has focus of both preparing for and respon-
complicated recovery and resumption of ding to natural disasters.
life for a large majority of the flood-hit
population. Restoring the healthcare and In Pakistan’s own recent experience of
education infrastructure has been a mass displacement and post-disaster
challenge while revival of agriculture in relief and rehabilitation, accounts of insen-
many areas may be impossible for several sitivity or discrimination towards some of
months at least. the internally displaced, often women, and
at times religious minorities, have not
Historic high inflation and loss of liveli- been unheard of.
hoods amid a stagnating economy that
preceded the floods worsened the vulne- About the Report
rability of the affected population.
This rapid assessment study of the circum-
It is no secret that the people with low stances of some of the marginalised and
socioeconomic status are most vulnera- vulnerable flood affectees was borne out
ble in the aftermath of natural disasters. of a shared belief of The Knowledge Forum
Moreover, inequality can both be a driver and the Sindh chapter of the National
and a consequence of a disaster-affected Commission for Human Rights that proac-
community’s heightened vulnerability. tive protection of human rights of the
most vulnerable must be an integral focus
Individuals’ gender, religious faith, age, of both preparing for and responding to
physical disability, displacement, literacy natural disasters.
status and poverty are just some of the
With neither the time nor the resources at
10
hand allowing for a more detailed examina- is home to 53% of the national population,
tion, only a few parts of the flood-hit zones of has 2.4 million non-Muslim citizens, com-
Sindh were chosen for a closer look via this pared to 4.6 million in Sindh.
rapid assessment. The reason for focusing on
Sindh was swayed by the fact that it had been It is against that overall backdrop, that
by far the worst-affected province in the 2022 proactively watching out for and dealing
floods. A brief section of this report presents with any discrimination in the post-flood
the details of the post-floods devastation in assistance and rehabilitation effort gains
Sindh. particular significance.

Profoundly relevant to this context is Sindh’s In terms of the report’s structure, the
recent and not-so-recent past. Sindh had following section offers a snapshot of the
long been a bastion of tolerance, peaceful impact of the 2022 monsoon rains and
coexistence and inter-communal harmony. floods on the province of Sindh. A quick
Numerous incidents of faith-based violence, reference to the manifestations of the
discrimination and intolerance over the last climate crisis in Pakistan in 2022 and to
few years have certainly tarnished that image. factors of vulnerability precedes a brief
Over the past decade, media and rights orga- explanation of the research methodology.
nisations have regularly highlighted incidents Thereafter, a section presents firsthand
of alleged involuntary change of religious accounts from the field and captures a
faith and forced marriage of non-Muslim range of views, including experiences of
women as well as faith-based violence in the those directly affected by the floods as well
province. as stakeholders from civil society, media
and district authorities. This is followed by
According to the most recent national census, key findings of the rapid assessment. The
Sindh has the highest non-Muslim population report concludes with recommendations
for any province in the country.3 Punjab, which for a range of stakeholders.

2022 Monsoon Floods: The Toll on Sindh

The monsoon rains and floods caused much -related deaths nationwide and two-third of
destruction across the country. However, by the injuries were reported in Sindh.
almost every yardstick, Sindh was the
Loss to infrastructure was no less punishing
worst-affected province.
in the province. According to NDMA, a third
of Pakistan’s bridges destroyed by the
Part of the reason was the unusually heavy floods, two-third of the damaged roads, and
rains and the length of time the floodwaters over 80% of the houses damaged or destro-
lingered in Sindh. The rainfall in the province yed were in Sindh. Out of the total 33 million
in July and August 2022 was 307% and 726% population directly affected by the floodwa-
above average, respectively.4 ters, 14.56 million resided in Sindh.

The impact dealt serious blows to Sindh. In Sindh’s loss of livestock, at 436,435 heads,
terms of casualties, nearly half of the flood constituted 37% of the livestock killed in the
floods nationwide.

4) Pakistan Monsoon 2022 Rainfall Report, Pakistan Meteorological Department,

3) Final Results of Census, 2017, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, [Link]
[Link] Rainfall_Update.htm#:~:text=August%202022,and%20near%20average%20in%20AJK.

11
 Sindh: Impact of 2022
monsoon floods: 5

Deaths: 814 Injured: 8,422

Roads damaged
Bridges
Destroyed: 165
or destroyed:
8,463 km

Destroyed
Houses:
1,436,914
Damaged
Houses:
650,272

5) Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Sindh,

Daily Situation Report January 12, 2023, [Link]
/report/pakistan/provincial-disaster-management-authority
-pdma-sindh-daily-situation-report-january-12-2023

12
Number of
Population
Persons Displaced:
Affected
12,356,860 12,356,860

Households
Affected:

12,356,860

Livestock Perished:
Total Crop
87,537 Area Damaged
3,777,272 acres

13
 According to the Provincial Disaster Manage-
Sindh accounted for 24 out of 90 districts
ment Authority (PDMA) in Sindh, 6.5 million
designated as calamity-hit across the coun-
people were displaced in the province in
try.
early September. By the beginning of
Out of the 90 districts designated as calami- January 2023, that number had fallen drasti-
ty-hit across the country, 24 were in Sindh. cally, according to the PDMA. Yet, over
In December 2022, nearly six months into 87,000 people were still displaced in the
the disaster, UN satellite imagery showed province.
large areas still submerged in 10 districts of
Sindh, namely Dadu, Kambar-Shahdadkot, Devastation across millions of acres of
Khairpur, Mirpurkhas, Jamshoro, Sanghar, farmland made agriculture impossible,
Umerkot, Badin, Shaheed Benazirabad, depriving a large number of landless pea-
and Naushahro Feroze. 6 sant population, often belonging to the
Hindu “scheduled castes”, of their livelihood.

Growing Footprint of the

Climate crisis
In 2022, the authorities and the popula- described as the loss of the spring season
tion in Pakistan were forced to face multi- in the country’s plains. In the absence of
ple climate change issues, which had the spring season, the winter transitioned
previously, at best, been on the periphery directly to an intense summer in 2022.
of the national focus. Pakistan experienced the hottest months
of April and May in over six decades. The
During the year, one of the multiple phe- extreme heatwave affected crucial crops
nomena linked to the climate crisis was and fruit production, with some accounts

Rapid deforestation, concrete-led infrastructure

development, high emissions, and poor capacity
to manage environment degradation are
6) Pakistan: 2022 Monsoon Floods - Situation Report No. 12
(As of 5 December 2022) UN Office for the Coordination of
contributing to the climate crisis in Pakistan.
Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), [Link]
pakistan/pakistan-2022-monsoon-floods-situation-report-no-
12-5-december-2022

14
of wheat production falling by 10% and High temperatures did cause a number of
mango by more than 30%. GLOF events during the summer, for exam-
ple in Hunza District, in Gilgit-Baltistan, on
In May 2022, the federal minister for clima- May 7, 2022; and in the Laspur Valley in
te change said that a climate emergency Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
was staring Pakistan in the face and the province on July 3, 2022.
human and infrastructure costs could be
very high. High temperatures also contributed to 2022
being Pakistan’s most active year of forest
Pakistan is home to more than 7,200 fires and sudden bush combustion events in
glaciers, the highest number outside the the summer.
Antarctic and Arctic polar caps. The Clima-
te Change Ministry anticipated numerous Among the top five risks that the World Eco-
GLOF events, with lakes forming in the nomic Forum's Global Risk Report 2022 cited
mountains due to increasing snowmelt for Pakistan, extreme weather events were
on the glaciers as a result of high tempera- listed as risk number two.
tures. The Federal Minister for Climate
Change Sherry Rehman said that Pakis-
The excessive monsoon rains and flooding
tan had identified at least 3,044 such
was thus only one of the many manifesta-
lakes, 30 of which were at risk of sudden
tions of climate change for Pakistan in 2022.
hazardous flooding, which posed serious
risks and vulnerability for the local and
downstream population. During his visit to the flood-affected areas in
Sindh in September 2022, UN Secretary
General António Guterres said he had “never
Also in May, the prime minister formula-
seen climate carnage” on such a scale.
ted a National Task Force to tackle severe
heatwave and GLOF events.

Vulnerabilities — Past and Present

An individual’s socio-economic standing, toll on Sindh also included at least 342
gender, health condition, poverty and children killed and 3,247 injured and count-
displacement are known factors that less others being exposed to increasing
aggravate post-disaster distress. It is, there- risk of the spread of waterborne and other
fore, hardly surprising that the monsoon diseases.
floods have heightened existing challen-
The disaster hit the already marginalised
ges for those affected.
Hindu scheduled castes hard. According
to the last national census, 831,562 (98%) of
Amid the prevailing high inflation and loss
Pakistan's 849,614 citizens from schedu-
of livelihoods, life was a struggle for the
led castes, an official term for the historica-
most vulnerable even before the disaster.
lly disadvantaged Hindus, reside in Sindh.
Even before the devastating floods, more
than 40% of mothers in the flood-hit areas The floods had a devastating impact on
suffered from anemia. Half of the children the marginalised Hindu scheduled
in the flood-affected districts were already castes, who already lived below the
stunted — an irreversible condition that poverty line.
inhibits the growth, and physical and cog-
nitive development of children. The flood’s

19 15
Substantial numbers of scheduled caste On top of all else, displacement itself
members work on farms without owners- spawns all manners of deprivation and
hip of the land they till. This section of the discrimination, and heightens vulnerabili-
population largely lived below the pover- ties. Pakistan’s own recent experience inclu-
ty line long before the floods caused loss des some instances of insensitivity, or
of income for months, if not longer. neglect, such as victims of internal displace-
ment being8
served food prohibited by their
The lot of peasants or Haris in Sindh religion.
remains a sorry one despite an important
judgment by the provincial high court in It is against this overall background that
2019. Efforts for a fair mechanism to regu- numerous instances of the suffering of the
late the interaction between landless pea- flood victims need to be understood. These
sants and landowners have sadly not include the unfortunate flood-displaced
been as enthusiastically pursued by family in Sindh’s Badin district losing three
human rights groups as several other young daughters when a truck ploughed
causes. Nothing demonstrates how com- into them as they slept on the side of a main
pletely these peasants are at the mercy of road in September 2022. In another acci-
the landowners than the fact that in any dent, three displaced flood victims were
given year over a thousand are freed, on killed, and six others injured in Thul in
court orders, from private jails of land- August when a tractor ran over them as
lords. According to a recent report on the they slept by the roadside.
state of peasants' rights in Sindh, 1,465
peasants, who were victims of debt bon-
dage, were freed from private prisons of At least two men sexually assaulted a minor
7
landowners in the province in 2021. girl, whose family was displaced from
Sindh’s Shikarpur district during the floods
and found shelter at a footpath in Karachi.
Even worse is the situation and socio-eco- The suspects had lured the victim to sit in
nomic status of women peasants, particu- their car by offering to buy her rations.
larly those from religious minorities and
scheduled castes, whose work lacks recog-
nition. The 1,465 peasants rescued from Both natural and man-made disasters have
these private prisons in 2021 also included regularly led to not just substantial forced
521 women and 445 children. A law for migration in Pakistan but also had a direct
safeguarding women agricultural wor- overall impact on citizens’ human rights.
kers’ rights in Sindh was adopted in 2019
but it is yet to be implemented. Despite experiencing extensive forced
displacement in recent decades, neither
Women and girls are affected dispropor- the federal nor any of the provincial
tionately in the aftermath of natural disas- governments have deemed it prudent to
ters due to unequal socio-economic benefit from the UN Guiding Principles
status, patriarchal power structures, discri- on Internal Displacement or adopted any
mination and lack of education and infor- proactive policy in this respect. What has
mation. According to the World Econo- been on display has, in fact, been the typi-
mic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index cal reactive, firefighting approach at
report 2022, the only country worse than damage control, rather than a human
Pakistan in the world in terms of gender rights centric response.
parity was Afghanistan.
Despite experiencing extensive forced
displacement in recent decades, neither
the federal nor any of the provincial govern-

8) “Life at Risk, Report of Working Group on Communities Vulnerable because of

7) “The State of Peasants’ Rights in Sindh 2021.” n.d. Accessed January 10, 2023. their Beliefs”, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), 2011, p. 21.
[Link] [Link]

16
ments have deemed it prudent to benefit The vulnerability of the affected population
from the UN Guiding Principles on Internal from the recent floods in Pakistan was
Displacement or adopted any proactive further compounded as the floods struck
policy in this respect. What has been on at a time of historic high inflation, the most
display has, in fact, been the typical reactive, severe cost of living crisis in Pakistanis’ lifeti-
firefighting approach at damage control, me, and growing challenges for businesses
rather than a human rights centric response. and employment prospects amid sustai-
ned political upheaval in the country.
While it is easy to agree that the impact of
climate change spares no one, it is also equa- Against this overall backdrop, the floods
lly true that natural disasters have not, and carry a real risk of further magnifying the
would not, affect all victims in the same existing inequalities by adding to the woes
manner. The poor, disadvantaged and margi- of the marginalised and vulnerable
nalised segments would be among the worst segments, including girls and women,
victims. religious minorities, and indeed all
displaced persons.
The vulnerability of the affected popula-
tion from the recent floods in Pakistan was
further compounded as the floods struck
at a time of historic high inflation, the most
severe cost of living crisis in Pakistanis’
lifetime, and growing challenges for busi-
nesses and employment prospects amid
sustained political upheaval in the country.

The flood-affected communities pointed out a

complete lack of meaningful consultation by
the government or aid organisations to gauge
their needs before launching the relief and
rehabilitation efforts in Sindh.

17
 Section
2

18
Methodology

19 19
The research tools used for this rapid assess-
ment included a survey, focus group discus- Survey Participants
sions (FGDs) and key informant interviews Finalisation of the survey sample benefi-
(KIIs). All participants were assured confiden- ted from the identification of markers of
tiality and any identifying information has vulnerability brought out in the FGDs.
been omitted from this report in order to
address any apprehension of repercussions A total of 103 respondents were surveyed
over frank sharing of views. for this study – 52 in district Benazirabad
(formerly Nawabshah) and 51 in Sanghar.

Survey and FGDs details Gender: In terms of their gender, the res-
pondents included 43 women, 55 men
Location: and five transgender persons.

In Sanghar, the survey was carried out in Age: The youngest respondent was 19 and
Tehsils Sanghar, Shahdadpur and Tando the oldest 91. Eighteen of the total respon-
Adam. dents were 60 years or older.

In Benazirabad, the survey was conducted Disability: Six respondents were physica-
in Mariam Road, Taj Colony and Pathan lly challenged.
Colony.
Religious faith of respondents: Out of
The FGDs were held in Mirpurkhas and the 103 respondents, 65 were from sche-
Sukkur. These were attended by civil society duled castes, 16 were Christian and 22
organisation representatives, activists, jour- Muslim.
nalists and lawyers, among others.
All data was gathered in the months of Literacy status: Out of the 103 respon-
November and December 2022. dents, 64 said that they were non-literate.
Non literacy was particularly pervasive
The survey helped gather the views of the among the respondents who identified
directly affected population which, in view themselves as Haris. Fourteen of the 18
of the time and resource constraints, could Hari men and all 15 Hari women had never
not have been ascertained otherwise. It was been to school.
also considered appropriate to document
the views of any individuals through a Displacement status: As many as 97 of
survey who, due to any apprehension, might the survey respondents were or had been
be hesitant to frankly share their views on displaced by the 2022 monsoon rains and
discrimination in a group setting. The survey floods.
form, based on structured and semi-structu-
red questions, was translated into Urdu and Haris: Of the total 103 respondents, 33
Sindhi. Native Sindhi speaking enumerators were Haris. These included 15 women and
helped the respondents who could not read 18 men.
or write.
All of the 15 women and 16 of the 18 men
KIIs were held with stakeholders from civil who identified themselves as Haris were
society and the administration in the selec- from scheduled castes.
ted flood-hit areas. The KIIs aimed to solicit
views of these actors in the districts where
the survey was conducted. The views of the The specifics: Respondents from
civil society and the administration helped Benazirabad
broaden understanding of the issues and
information collected through the FGDs Gender: The 52 respondents from Benazi-
and the survey. rabad included 24 women, 25 men and
three transgender persons.

20
 Religious faith: Thirty respondents were
Age: Nine of the 52 respondents were 60 from scheduled castes (21 men and 9
years or older, including four women. women), 14 were Christian (10 women and 4
man), and seven Muslim (five men and two
Disability: Three of the respondents, inclu- transgender persons).
ding a woman, were physically challenged.
Literacy status: Twenty-seven of the total
Religious faith of respondents: Thirty-five respondents from Sanghar (16 women and 11
of the respondents were from scheduled men) could not read or write. These included
castes (18 women and 17 men), 15 were four of the five Hari respondents.
Muslim (seven men, five women and three
transgender persons) and two Christian (a Displacement status: With the exception of
woman and a man). the two transgender persons, all the respon-
dents from Sanghar were or had been
Literacy status: Thirty-seven respondents displaced by the rains and floods.
(22 women, 14 men, and one transgender
person) described themselves as non-lite- Haris: Five respondents described themsel-
rate. Among the 24 women respondents, ves as Haris. All Hari respondents were from
22 did not know how to read or write. Three scheduled castes.
of the five female Muslim respondents, as
well as the only Christian female respon-
dent, also said that they were non-literate.
Ten of the 13 Hari men and all 15 Hari
women had never been to school.

Displacement status: Out of the 52 res-

pondents from Benazirabad, 46 were or
had been displaced by the rains and floods.
These included 27 (15 women and 12 men)
of the 28 respondents who described
themselves as Haris. A 68-year-old Muslim
man was the only respondent among Haris
who was not displaced.

Haris: Fifteen women and 13 men des-

cribed themselves as Haris. All 15 Hari
women and 11 of the 13 Hari men were from
scheduled castes. The two other Hari men
were Muslim.

The specifics: Respondents from

Sanghar
Gender: The 51 respondents from Sanghar
included 19 women, 30 men and two trans-
gender persons.

Age: Five men and four women among the

51 respondents were 60 years or older.

Disability status: Three respondents in the

group, all men, were physically challenged.

21
 24
22
Section
3

23
 Impressions from the Field

This section details input gathered through a survey with members of the affected com-
munities as well as FGDs and KIIs with stakeholders from civil society and the administra-
tion in the selected flood-hit areas.

The two FGDs were conducted in Mirpurkhas and Sukkur ahead of conducting the survey
to reflect on the factors and dynamics that heightened vulnerability, marginalisation and
could lead to discrimination amid natural disasters.

“Much of this is a man-made disaster. These lands are still submerged because road cons-
truction and structures built by landgrabbers have blocked water’s natural flow to the
waterways. Ridding areas along natural waterways of encroachment should be the priori-
ty, rather than handing out rations among the flood affectees, so that we are spared the
ignominy of having to accept handouts after future floods.”

—A participant of Mirpurkhas FGD

When the FGD was held in Mirpurkhas in November 2022, it was among the 10 hard-hit
Sindh districts with large swathes still under water. Also among those 10 districts were
Benazirabad and Sanghar, where the survey was conducted among the affected popula-
tion in December. At the time of the survey, many areas were still submerged in both
districts and it appeared that they could remain so for months. The districts were selected
for FGDs and the survey in view of the impact of the rains and floods as well as the concen-
tration of the vulnerable communities there.

The key takeaways from the FGDs, survey and key informant interviews include the
following:

A third of all survey respondents believed that

scheduled castes or religious minorities usually
suffered the most in natural disasters in Sindh.
Many of them were inclined to understand a
lack of sufficient assistance to them in
that context.
24
 Colossal impact, meagre response
· Irrespective of religious faith, gender or recall a more intense spell of rain throu-
any other identity marker, the entire popula- ghout her life. The respondents said that
tion affected by the rains and floods had mud houses stood no chance against
suffered to varying degrees. Lack of timely torrential deluge, which lasted seven conse-
information about the intensity of the rains cutive days in some places. In severely affec-
and floods contributed to the loss of human ted areas, nothing was left standing. Not
lives and the overall suffering of the affec- just houses, but also schools, hospitals and
ted communities. Members of the affected the communication infrastructure was
population felt that precise and prompt destroyed. The low-lying areas were still
information on the scale and pattern of under water. Most of the affectees linked to
rains and floods could have prepared the agriculture had lost their livelihoods. On
people better to brace for what followed. top of the prevailing high inflation, unem-
ployment made putting food on the table
· Many FGD and survey participants unders- a real struggle.
tood that the sheer scale of the devastation
affected the pace and reach of the post-di- · The survey respondents highlighted a
saster response. However, many also thou- complete lack of meaningful inclusion,
ght that the official flood response lacked participation or consultation by the govern-
strategic planning. When the floods struck, ment or aid organisations with the vulnera-
the government started operating from ble communities to gauge their needs or
Karachi. With roads blocked and infrastruc- concerns before launching relief and reha-
ture destroyed in the affected areas, it was bilitation efforts in Sindh. Not a single
not possible to tackle such a huge disaster respondent replied in the affirmative when
from the provincial capital. It was stressed asked if any consultation had taken place
that until the emergency relief services and to ascertain their needs.
empowered decision-making structures
were based in each district, effective and · Although the general view was that the
timely response to disasters of such magni- flood-affected individuals from vulnerable
tude would be impossible. communities had been more seriously
affected, and were certainly more vulnera-
· Many of the surveyed persons blamed ble compared to the rest of the population,
their ordeal during displacement on their not a single respondent could recall any
financial situation. They said that people of specific measures by the authorities or aid
means had moved to cities and safer areas agencies to assist and protect any vulnera-
and could afford to rent accommodation ble group, including expectant mothers,
and buy whatever they needed, while the women-headed families, physically challen-
poorest were suffering in the formal and ged persons, unaccompanied children or
spontaneous camps amid absence of basic transgender persons, and scheduled
facilities. What little assistance was made castes or other religious minorities
available early on had gradually subsided,
even as needs remained unchanged or · Around two-thirds of the respondents
actually became more acute. Protection stated that they did not know if the overall
against the challenges posed by the winter treatment of the vulnerable communities
was direly needed. in Sindh in the 2022 floods had been diffe-
rent compared to previous natural disas-
· Numerous respondents spoke of the inten- ters. Nearly a quarter were of the view that
sity and length of rains as unprecedented. A the treatment was reminiscent of what
91-year-old woman respondent could not had happened in previous disasters. Howe-

25
ver, almost an equal number that stated that
the treatment was different essentially poin-
ted to more and better coordinated assistan-
ce in the aftermath of the torrential 2011 rains
in Sindh. They said that international aid agen-
cies had also extended support back then,
which they thought had not been the case
following the 2022 rains and floods.

· The plight of the displaced in many of the

affected villages was said to be “beyond imagi-
nation”. Immediate relief could only address Majority of the respondents from Nawabshah
their most immediate needs. A long-term believed that attention and support from
policy for rehabilitation was stressed. NGOs would be the most crucial factor in
countering discriminatoryattitudes towards
the vulnerable communities.

“ When the weather forecast predicted what was coming, why

didn’t UN agencies and government bodies do timely plan-
ning? Once the floods hit, everyone suddenly had ideas and
suggestions. Anyone can go and see that there is no NDMA or
PDMA in the deputy commissioner’s office. Everyone looks
towards NGOs. Where is the budget of government depart-
ments spent?”
—An activist at the Mirpurkhas FGD

Marginalised minorities left behind

The survey responses brought forth very dents also had almost identical complaints.
few objectively verifiable accounts of discri- Nearly a fifth of the respondents, all Chris-
mination. Several survey respondents tians or from the scheduled castes, said that
genuinely seemed to believe that the the majority considered them ‘inferior’. They
absence or paucity of relief provisions for perceived absence or inadequacy of assis-
them was rooted in discrimination. This tance for them to be a continuation of the
perception of discrimination was particular- same discriminatory attitude towards them.
ly vivid regarding provision of edible and
other emergency relief, denial or delay in · An activist drew attention towards displa-
registration for assistance or compensation ced people housed in Govt S.M. Khawaja
and the amount of compensation for dama- High School in Benazirabad where all sche-
ges suffered. However, even members of duled caste families were reportedly housed
the religious majority among the respon- in the corridors and Muslim families were

26
given rooms in the school. Apparently, not a they considered their ‘vote bank’. Some
single scheduled caste family was housed members of the Muslim community in San-
in a room in the school. ghar claimed that they had been denied
assistance for affected people on account
· A third of all survey respondents believed of being followers of a particular religious
that scheduled castes or religious minori- leader (pir).
ties usually suffered the most in natural
disasters in Sindh. Many of them were incli- · Amid reservations over discrimination,
ned to understand a lack of sufficient assis- one account of indiscriminate assistance
tance to them in that context. Around 20% from Sanghar was about a local church
respondents cited the elderly, and 16% the providing help to the affected Christians as
physically disabled as disproportionately well as scheduled caste families in need.
affected in such disasters.
· The survey respondents were unanimous
· Out of the 103 survey respondents, 101 said in stating that neither government authori-
that they had not personally faced or ties nor aid agencies and private charities
known anyone from vulnerable communi- had put in place any real safeguards to
ties who had faced discrimination in camps prevent discrimination in relief and rehabili-
or outside camps. However, a third of the tation for vulnerable communities. Over
respondents identified discrimination as a two-thirds of the respondents definitively
key challenge for vulnerable communities said that such safeguards were not in
in Sindh during the 2022 floods. evidence, while nearly a third said that they
were not aware if such measures existed.
· Reservations were voiced over what was None of the respondents knew of an effecti-
described as ‘political discrimination’ in ve grievance redressal mechanism for
relief distribution on the basis of political vulnerable communities to lodge a comp-
affiliation. Some FGD participants said that laint against discrimination in relief or reha-
the focal persons tasked with the distribu- bilitation activities. During data analysis, it
tion of ration and other relief by the govern- was considered that even if sufficient safe-
ment favoured affectees who were affilia- guards and grievance redressal mechanis-
ted with certain political parties or were ms existed, the fact that the respondents
known to have voted for them. They said did not even know about their existence
that some affected people at times did not would not inspire much confidence in
approach such focal persons as they belie- their utility to counter discrimination.
ved they would not be given relief for being
affiliated with a rival political party. Some · Over half of the respondents said that
religio-political parties had reportedly only they would feel more comfortable and reas-
targeted affected population from their sured if they came across fellow communi-
own sects, or those population groups that ty members among the staff of govern-

Lack of timely information about the intensity of the

rains and floods contributed to the overall suffering
of the affected communities.
27
ment or aid agencies dealing with relief vulnerable communities. An even greater
and rehabilitation work. However, more majority of respondents from Sanghar (44
than two-thirds of the respondents said out of 52) stated that the role of the govern-
that they had never seen members from ment would be most consequential in
their own communities among such staff. countering any discriminatory attitudes.
Nine respondents described coming Overall, 11 of the 103 respondents conside-
across such staff, albeit rarely. red the role of religious leaders and madras-
sas to be most crucial in this respect. An
· Curiously, majority of the respondents overwhelming majority of the respondents
from Nawabshah (40 out of 51) believed believed that local population from the
that attention and support from NGOs religious majority could generally play a big
would be the most crucial factor in counte- part in countering discrimination at times
ring discriminatory attitudes towards the of natural disasters.

Flood-induced displacement aggravated the existing

vulnerability of women. FGDs reported a number of
instances of violence against displaced girls and
young women by male family members.

Peasants rendered helpless

· Landless peasants and haris were badly were financially strong, while those living in
affected as their dwellings — mostly fields had limited access to relief efforts. Sub-
made of mud — were inundated and merged farmland affecting those who were
flattened during the first spell of the only skilled in farming caused livelihood
monsoon rains. losses for some of the poorest rural popula-
tions
· Besides losing their homes, these pea-
sants also lost their livelihood well ahead Scheduled castes`worst affected
of the other affected population. During
the rains, the peasants were living in · The landless peasants, who were overwhel-
open fields and were inaccessible. After mingly from scheduled castes, were among
the rains, they were the last to get any the worst affected as they lived on the farms
support as the routes to their localities of the landowners and already did not have
were submerged. Many respondents much. On top of that, their mud houses were
were of the view that when official aid brought down by the water. Their suffering
did arrive it was acquired by those who was compounded in the aftermath of the

28
floods since little or no aid reached their 50% of each crop as rent to the landow-
villages as the rains rendered the roads ners. With the loss of their crop, they lost
unusable. everything. The Sindh government had
announced that peasants would get free
· Haris who worked as sharecroppers were seed. No such relief had been announced
cited as being among the worst-hit affec- for Haris who were landless, who often
tees for other reasons too. These sharecro- included Kohli, Bheel, Bagri and other
ppers were tenant farmer who bore the members of scheduled castes.
entire cost of cultivation and typically gave

Gendered misery
· Flood-induced displacement further even more difficult. The female respon-
aggravated the existing deprivation and dents did not consider that to be a result
vulnerability of women. Some journalists at of discrimination towards them. However,
the FGDs shared instances of violence they did say that such needs of women
against displaced girls and young women were not considered important or at par
by male family members as houses and with the immediate provision of food, etc.
livelihoods were destroyed, and uprooted
people had to find shelter in camps set up · Even as attention was drawn to instan-
by the authorities or pitch a tent on higher ces of violence against women by their
ground on their own. In their homes in the kin among displaced families, all respon-
rural areas, male relatives did not allow dents barring one said that they were not
women to sit outside the four walls of the aware of any incident of displaced
house. However, the camps were crowded women from vulnerable communities
spaces and girls and women sitting outside facing harassment from IDPs from other
their tents led to ‘domestic violence’. families or communities. The only excep-
tion was a transgender respondent who
· Lack of menstrual kits, sanitary pads, said that she faced harassment and ridicu-
toilets and general privacy in tents made le outside camps on account of her
the lives of the displaced girls and women gender.

Jeopardised healthcare
· A large number of displaced and other ties. During the floods, it was a challenge
affected people had no choice but to live for them to get to safe locations. After the
close to the areas inundated by large volu- floods, they struggled to get appropriate
mes of stagnant water, which exposed healthcare.
them to water-borne and other diseases.
The camps lacked drainage systems. In · The FGD and survey participants belie-
some areas, people had to drink rainwater, ved that the government not only lacked
which caused various ailments. data on newborns, persons with disabili-
ties and elderly persons, but also a strate-
· Most of the displaced camp settings gy to prioritise help for those and others
lacked health facilities. This particularly with pressing needs in an emergency.
added to the challenges for pregnant
women, children and the elderly amid · A physically challenged respondent said
widespread mosquito-borne, water-borne that he was on his own as rainwater inun-
and skin diseases. dated his village. He had to leave on the
shoulders of relatives who waded through
· Pregnant women suffered great difficul- waist-high water to reach higher ground.

29
A 91-year-old woman said that she to manage chronic ailments including
could leave her village only because diabetes, blood pressure and heart disea-
fellow villagers had carried her to se.
safety on her cot.
· With their houses and livelihoods lost,
· Several respondents, particularly people were also suffering psychologica-
those in their 60s and above, spoke lly. Many of the displaced were in a limbo,
of losing everything when their stuck as they were in their tents, not sure
houses were submerged. They said of future steps as either their destroyed
that for many days during their houses were in areas still inundated, or
displacement they had to do the compensation amount they received
without the medicine they needed was too meagre to cover the cost of repai-
ring damaged houses.

30
Section
4

31
Navigating flood water by foot was particularly difficult for pregnant women, children
and the elderlies.

Findings
This rapid assessment has benefited immensely from the firsthand accounts of the expe-
riences, concerns and perceptions that the affected population and other stakeholders
candidly shared. Based on their views, the key findings are as follows:

· The monsoon rains and floods had · There was a consensus that neither the
caused much distress to all communities government, nor aid agencies had held
in the affected areas. There appeared to be any meaningful consultation with vulne-
near consensus that challenges were rable communities to assess their needs
perhaps greatest for those from scheduled or concerns before the launch of relief
castes in the rural areas. Many affected and rehabilitation activities. There was
people from scheduled castes were depen- also near unanimity of views that the
dent on agriculture and floodwater had government authorities and aid agen-
inundated farmland and deprived them of cies had introduced neither any real safe-
their livelihood. Predominantly, they lived guards to prevent discrimination in relief
in kacha mud houses built on land that and rehabilitation for vulnerable commu-
they did not own. Many were aggrieved nities nor have they established an effec-
that their dwellings had not been surveyed tive complaint mechanism for the affec-
for assessment of damage and payment of ted people.
compensation.
· Allegations of discrimination in relief
· Research for the rapid assessment came distribution on the basis of political affilia-
across very few instances of what could be tion were aired.
readily branded as discrimination towards
vulnerable communities. Although several · Most of the people from vulnerable
individuals from vulnerable communities communities consulted for this assess-
appeared to be convinced that lack of relief ment felt more comfortable dealing with
provisions for them or delay or absence of relief and rehabilitation staff belonging
survey of their damaged houses was to their own communities amid natural
rooted in discrimination. However, even disasters. However, the overwhelming
members from the majority Muslim com- majority of them had never seen mem-
munity in those areas made similar comp- bers from their own communities
laints. among such staff.

32
· Many affected individuals felt aggrieved faith-based discrimination.
not only by a lack of appropriate provisions
but also by an overall diminished scale of · At least few women in formal or sponta-
assistance compared to previous disasters. neous camps had suffered from violence
The 2011 rains in the upper Sindh districts from family members and more generally
and the resulting losses were said to be faced additional problems due to cramped
much less compared to 2022. However, it conditions, a general lack of privacy, absen-
was argued that in 2011 there was greater ce of toilets in camps and a lack of mens-
relief assistance and people had received trual kits.
much support from NGOs and INGOs,
which had really helped vulnerable commu- · A large number of displaced and other
nities, including women and persons with affected people had no choice but to conti-
disabilities. nue living close to the flooded areas. This,
in addition to lack of drainage systems in
· Even though the vulnerable communities camps, had made water-borne and skin
had suffered comparatively more hardships ailments a constant challenge for the
by most accounts, no specific measures had displaced population. Pregnant women,
been taken for them despite their additio- children and the elderly were particularly
nal vulnerabilities. Doctors in the field stated at risk as most of the displaced camp
that individuals from vulnerable communi- settings had modest or no health facilities.
ties were affected more. However, there had
been no additional system to focus on their · The government not only lacked vital
healthcare needs. They stated that the steps data on newborns, persons with disabili-
needed to care for expectant mothers had ties and elderly persons, but also a strategy
not been taken, causing them great difficul- to prioritise help for those with the most
ties. The doctors said that was the case for pressing needs.
all expecting women in remote areas. The
challenges of expectant women were com- · The print, electronic and social media had
pounded further by the social and financial consistently kept the spotlight on challen-
circumstances, although not by overt ges faced by the flood victims.

33
 Section
5

34
 Conclusion
Numbers alone can tell only part of the story terate persons and landless peasants,
of Pakistan’s worst humanitarian crisis in over particularly precarious. There was consen-
a decade. As ever, countless accounts of grief sus also that there had been complete
and misery, individual lives halted or forever absence of any additional measures
changed are shrouded by the statistics. aimed at supporting the vulnerable
groups.
There is no doubt that the devastation
caused by the monsoon floods left the entire Amid a lack of systematic monitoring of
affected population in Sindh in urgent need trends, there is real potential for things to
of relief and rehabilitation. rapidly get much worse for the vulnera-
ble communities. Apprehensions about
At a time when the world is confronting these circumstances exposing the vulne-
serious consequences of the climate crisis, it rable to exploitation, including debt bon-
should be easy to agree that the impact of dage, are hardly misplaced.
climate change would not spare anyone. It is,
however, equally true that natural disasters It is critical to design responses and
do not, and would not, affect all victims alike. strategies that not only help those
Disasters often place vulnerable groups, such most seriously affected in the current
as religious minorities, women and children, crisis, but also deliver a template for
at increased risk of abuse and exploitation. systematically addressing the vulnera-
The poor and marginalised segments would bilities at hand.
almost always be among the worst affected.
However, the challenges that the floods
The vulnerability of the flood-affected popula- have left behind could well be turned into
tion in Sindh has been heightened not only opportunities. For this purpose, it is criti-
by their displacement and loss of assets and cal to design responses and strategies
livelihoods but also historic high inflation that not only help those most seriously
against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic affected in the current crisis, but also
and mounting economic difficulties in the deliver a template for systematically
country. addressing the vulnerabilities at hand.

All stakeholders consulted for this assess- A reactive, one-size-fits-all approach to

ment were of the view that the floods and disaster response would not augur well
rains had rendered the situation of vulnera- for the most vulnerable in the present
ble groups such as pregnant women, newbor- crisis, or indeed in any that lie ahead.
ns, persons with disabilities, the elderly, non-li-

35
 Recommendations
The following recommendations may hold value in effectively preparing for and respon-
ding to future large-scale natural or man-made disasters:

For the Government · Introduce and adequately publicise

avenues to lodge complaints about discri-
· Facilitate effective linkages among the mination in relief or rehabilitation activi-
government, national human rights institu- ties.
tions (NHRIs), federal and provincial disas-
ter management authorities and local and
international organisations to efficiently For NHRIs
tackle the impact of disasters on the affec- · Act as a watchdog to ensure greater
ted population. accountability, transparency and respect
for human rights amid the disaster
· Ensure that the post-disaster relief and response.
rehabilitation endeavours go beyond reacti-
ve measures. A template for dealing with · Enhance own capacity and support and
various stages of disasters should benefit facilitate training for stakeholders from
from international standards, including disaster management bodies and civil
the UN Guiding Principles on Internal society with a view to bring human rights
Displacement, where applicable. dimensions in their responses to disas-
ters.
· Have in place, and share with relevant
stakeholders, reliable data on the needs · Continuously assess the disaster respon-
and vulnerabilities of the populace in order se mechanism from a human rights pers-
to better respond to specific needs amid pective as well as flag and seek redressal
any disaster. of discrimination on any grounds during
any stage of displacement or natural
· Make adequate resources available to disasters.
NHRIs so they can acquire the capacity to
monitor, promote and protect the human · Remain vigilant that deprivations crea-
rights of the affected population during ted or enhanced by the 2022 monsoon
natural disasters. rains and floods do not lead to further
exploitation of victims, including vulnera-
· Provide conducive environment for civil ble communities being trapped in debt
society organisations, journalists and bondage or child labour, etc.
rights defenders, particularly amid natural
disasters.
For disaster management
· Ensure that the personnel responding to authorities
a disaster represent, to a fair degree, the
· Benefit from best practices to guard
diversity of the vulnerable communities
against all manner of discrimination in
that they are assisting.
responding to disasters.
· Expedite establishment of local govern-
· Envisage and deploy, while preparing
ments at the grassroots in order to more
40
for and responding to disasters, specific
promptly and effectively respond to disas-
additional measures to protect the indivi-
ters at the local level.
duals and communities who may face

36
greater vulnerabilities or discrimination on needs and concerns to the stakeholders
any ground. that can address them effectively.

· Use specific efforts to reach vulnerable · Be guided by the affected communi-

segments — including individuals who are ties, through meaningful consultation,
non-literate or lack modern communication regarding their needs or concerns before
gadgets — while publicising information launching any relief or rehabilitation
alerts or warnings about any impending measures.
natural disasters.
· Cultivate and use allies among various
· Establish a dedicated mechanism to moni- stakeholders in order to push for a
tor and respond to discrimination on any human rights centric approach to disas-
ground during disaster response. ter response.

· Collaborate with media, lawyers, and

For civil society political parties and leaders to draw
organisations attention to any discrimination in the
provision of relief/rehabilitation with a
· Use grassroots connections to identify view to addressing such discrimination.
and highlight pressing concerns and
needs of affected populations during · Keep the spotlight on the needs and
natural disasters and communicate the overall treatment of the affected popula-
tion from the human rights perspective.

37
National Commission for Human Rights
[Link]
[Link]@[Link]

The Knowledge Forum

info@[Link]
@tkfpak
@tkfpak
@theknowledgeforum
[Link]