Disaster and Disability in Bangladesh - Behinderung und Dritte Welt

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A RTIKELConclusionOn the basis of the research, it is possible tosay that the disaster-management system, fromthe official but also from NGO side, does notwork as efficiently as envisaged and that majorprinciples of good management have not beenimplemented successfully by a large number ofinstitutions and other organisations. The reasonsfor this are varied and changes take time.On 3rd May 2008, the UN Convention on theRights of People with a Disability came intoforce, stating how individual states should promoteand protect people with a disability. Thisalso includes humanitarian activities. Accordingly,the Bangladeshi state, which has been amember of the UN since 1974, has a responsibilityto ensure that its disaster relief and developmentalactivities also target people with adisability. The individual states have to makesure that activities of other organisations likeNGOs take the needs of people with a disabilityinto account. People with a disability havethe right to be included in all disaster-relatedactivities (UN 2008). It can be assumed, thatglobal warming will increase the numbers andthe effects of disasters in Bangladesh; thus, reducingthe negative impact of disasters is a majortask for the future. One important aspect isthe reduction of poverty to strengthen people’sresilience against disaster as poor people areextremely vulnerable when it comes to disaster.As disability correlates strongly with poverty,preventing disabilities and mitigating the negativeeffect of disabilities on people’s lives mustbe an integral part of poverty reduction anddisaster-related activities (UNFPA 2007, UN/ISDR 2007, Worldbank 2008). A modern disaster-managementsystem is linked to all povertyreductionmeasures and all developmental activitiestaking place in a community. Such a systemalso lends more importance to the preventionor mitigation of the negative effects of disastersthrough better preparation and trainingof people living in disaster-prone areas (UN/ISDR 2006). In most cases, the low resilience ofpeople with disabilities is strongly linked totheir disability and the critical situation they livein due to that disability; strengthening their resiliencecan only succeed when confrontingtheir disability and trying to improve the situationthey live in. To this end, people from NGOsand other aid organisations have to find waysof successfully reaching people with disabilitiesand adapting developmental and disaster-relatedmeasures in such a way that they alsowork for people with disabilities. For Bangladesh,a country in which NGOs play such animportant role, it is vital that the cooperation ofNGOs and members of the official disastermanagementsystem is improved, professionalisedor even standardised. The disaster-managementsystem must be reliable and efficient,taking people with disabilities’ needs into accounteverywhere in the country, not only inthose parts where individual NGOs’ work ishighly efficient. The UN/ISDR and other organisationsemphasize that disaster management ismore efficient if organised on a low administrativelevel, structures are in place locally andpeople are actively involved in or even incharge of disaster-related activities, e.g. risk assessmentsor drills. People with disabilities areeasily left out: their existence is not known, informationis not passed on or passed on in sucha way that people with disabilities cannot understandit, people with a disability face mobilityand accessibility problems and are not ableto leave their houses without support, e.g. toattend awareness meetings. But organisingthings on a lower administrative level doesmake it more likely for people with a disabilityto be included in disaster-related activities. Actionis taken closer by, is more easily accessibleand also seems more relevant to people, whichis important to make them take a more activepart. A working inclusive disaster-managementsystem prepares, activates and supports peoplebefore, during and after disaster strikes. Asstated by representatives of NGOs, mainstreamingis not proving as effective as hopedfor and it might be necessary to target peoplewith a disability exclusively as many are isolatedas well as unaware of the risks and howto reduce them. Exclusively targeting peoplewith disabilities does make sense to a certaindegree, but it also involves certain risks: treatingpeople with disabilities as a special group,separating them from other members of a communitymight marginalise them further and underminetheir right to be part of a communityas well as the decision-making processes there.It might also create excuses for the governmentand other NGOs not to take the needs andrights of people with disabilities into account asthere are specialised organisations tending totheir needs. Raising their awareness, trainingthem and involving them in decisions-makingprocesses regarding disaster-related measuresis vital to reduce their vulnerability and protectthem from poverty. A two-track approach whichinvolves special measures to include peoplewith disabilities but also gradually makes thempart of an existing and improving mainstreamdisaster-management system might be a bettersolution. Simultaneously, infrastructure, meet-30 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 1/2010
A RTIKELings, training and materials have to be madeaccessible. NGOs working for people with disabilitiescould advise other NGOs and governmentalinstitutions, e.g. offer staff training. Creatingan official good practice seal for organisations,governmental or non-governmental,which have successfully integrated disability issuesinto their work might have a positive effect.Material on disability issues, but also inclusivetraining manuals etc. should be easilyavailable. Social mapping, vulnerability mappingand risk mapping in communities as wellas individual disaster plans and self-helpgroups which, for example, strengthen embankmentsor raise the level of buildings all addressdisability as an issue as well as includingpeople with disabilities as active participants.Trained persons with disabilities should functionas advisors to make sure disability issue aretaken into account. Some of these things arealready done by NGOs in Bangladesh. Someorganisations have made detailed maps ofcommunities which include information on peoplewith disabilities living in certain areas andidentifying the exact support they need in thecase of disaster. Improving the existing managementsystem, targeting people with disabilitiesas well as making them a more active partof existing activities might lead to a more efficientand inclusive disaster-management system.In this way, the vulnerability of people withdisabilities could be significantly reduced, theirresilience strengthened and greater developmentalprogress would be made possible.ReferencesRAJENDRA, K.R./MITRA, G. (2008): Disability and Disasters-Challenges& Responses in South AsiaKABIR, F. (2008): Mainstreaming Disability Issues in DisasterRisk Reduction (DRR), Handicap InternationalHYOGO FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION (2005): Building theResilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters2005-2015UN/ISDR (2007): Word into Action, GenevaUN/ISDR (2008): Indicators of progress - Guidance onMeasuring the Reduction of Disaster Risks and the Implementationof the Hyogo Framework for Action,GenevaOXFAM INTERNATIONAL (2008), One year after CycloneSidr: Fear replaces hopeWHO (2001): International Classification of Functioning,Disability and Health – ICIDHUN (2005): United Nations’ Common Country report -BangladeshIFRC (2007): World Disaster Report 2007ONLINE FORUM ON DISABLED AND VULNERABLE PE-OPLE IN NATURAL DISASTERS (2006): Report of theOnline Forum on Disabled and Other Vulnerable Peoplein Natural DisastersIFRC (2007), World Disaster Report 2007 – DisabilityMINSTRY OF FOOD AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT(2005): Food and Disaster Management CorporatePlan 2005-2009, DhakaGOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE`S REPUBLIC OF BAN-GLADESH (2005): National Plan of Disaster Management2009 – 2015, DhakaMUG, M. (2008): Human Resource Development Planand Capacity building for Disaster Risk Reduction inBangladesh, DhakaDISASTER PREPAREDNESS FORUM (2003): Bangladesh –Disaster Report 2002, Disaster Preparedness ForumDhaka, DhakaJAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY PLAN-NING AND EVALUATION DEPARTMENT (2002):Country Profile on Disability – People’s Republic ofBangladesh, TokyoFurther Internet Linkshttp://www.unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng%20home.htm“Growing discontent” The Guardian 20.2.2008www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/20/internationalaidanddevelopment.bangladeshhttp://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/facts.shtmlhttp://www.unfpa.org/swp/2007/english/chapter_5/poverty.htmlhttp://web.worldbank.org/http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=199Bangladesh seeks to strengthen local governments;12.2.2005 http://www.rti.org/news.cfmhttp://www.dmb.gov.bd/ldap.htmlhttp://www.lgd.gov.bd/html/about.htmlhttp://www.bangladeshsociology.org/Nasreen%20-%20Sociology%20of%20Disaster,%20PDF.pdf4http://taraqee.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/establishment-of-institute-of-disaster-managementbangladesh/http://bdpc.org.bd/Zusammenfassung: Der Artikel beschreibt die Forschungsergebnissezur Effizienz des bangladeschischen Disaster-Management-Systemsfür Menschen mit Behinderungin Bangladesch. Menschen mit Behinderung und Repräsentantenvon NGOs wurden befragt und boten einenBlick in die schwierige Situation, der sich Menschen mit Behinderunggegenüber sehen. Mängel des Systems und Strategienzur Verbesserung der Situation werden beschriebenund diskutiert.Résumé: Cet article décrit les résultats d’une recherche surl’efficacité du système de management des catastrophespour les personnes handicapées au Bangladesh. Des personneshandicapées et des représentants d’ONG ont été interrogéset donnent un aperçu de la situation difficile à la-Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 1/201031
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Page 5 and 6: A RTIKELthat relationships matter a
Page 7 and 8: A RTIKELet al. 2002: 28). In such c
Page 9 and 10: A RTIKELthe patterns of families in
Page 11 and 12: A RTIKELConclusionThis paper has ad
Page 13 and 14: A RTIKELschaften in der Konstruktio
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Page 17 and 18: A RTIKELbeinhalten die Rahmenbeding
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Page 27 and 28: A RTIKELDisaster and Disability in
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Page 33 and 34: B ERICHTEIncluding Persons with Dis
Page 35 and 36: B ERICHTEin the resolution back the
Page 37 and 38: B ERICHTEren Lernbedürfnissen und
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Disaster and Disability in Bangladesh - Behinderung und Dritte Welt

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