Turkey-Syria earthquake: Women among the worst victims
Women are at a constant disadvantage during disasters. But what makes the recent earthquakes devastatingly unique is the fact that the it has occurred in a volatile region confronting conflict that has lasted over 12 years
During the early hours of February 6, 2023, an earthquake of about 7.8 magnitude struck near the Turkish city of Gaziantep with its tremor felt as far afield as Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and Palestine. A slightly smaller quake, which recorded a magnitude of 7.5, struck just nine hours later. More than 300 aftershocks rumbled after these initial quakes.
The devastation across swathes of south-eastern Turkey and north-western Syria has, therefore, been extremely overwhelming, with thousands of people killed and many more left injured. Its gendered ramifications are even more damaging, with women among the most affected victims.
There exists ample evidence to suggest how different crises exacerbate pre-existing gender inequalities, thereby, forcing women to bear a disproportionate impact of most crises. For instance, during the 2001 Gujarat earthquakes in India, female survivors struggled to access facilities such as cooking areas, safe toilets, drinking water facilities, livelihood opportunities, and were unable to protect their families.
In another calamity, up to four females died for every male in Aceh, Indonesia at the time of the 2004 tsunami. Among those who survived, their socio-economic security stood acutely affected, owing to their lack of access to resources.
Women have, therefore, been at a constant disadvantage during disasters, however, “natural” they might be. But what makes the recent Turkey-Syria earthquakes unique is the fact that the devastation unleashed by it has occurred in a region where the past 12 years of conflict in Syria have pushed thousands of women out of their homes, destroyed their livelihood and forced them to live as internally displaced persons (IDPs).
According to the United Nations Population Fund, over the last decade, insecurity, fear and intense economic pressures sharply increased the vulnerability of women and girls in Syria and rates of draconian practices such as child marriage spiked. In addition, as of May 2022, some 7.3 million women and girls need life-saving sexual and reproductive health services with many dependent on humanitarian aid.
And lest we forget that displacement considerably increases women’s exposure to exploitation. In Syria, women trying to seek shelter, safety, and help for themselves and their children, their danger of being trafficked, exploited, and being forced into dangerous conditions had become commonplace. As per a report by Syrian Network for Human Rights in 2021, there were about 28,618 females who had been killed in Syria since March 2011 including 93 due to torture, 10,628 forcibly disappeared, and 11,523 sexual assault incidents against females.
The quakes have, thus, only forced these women to shoulder an additional burden, depriving them of proper care and protection. Aid has been delayed due to the fallout of the devastating earthquakes, which have substantially damaged roads and the civilian airport combined with the freezing winter weather, making it difficult for women to fend for their families.
The prices of everything — including basic amenities such as food and water —have increased two-threefold. In an interview with AlJazeera, a Syrian refugee woman living in Hayat province said, “There is no electricity, no running water. We are buying water to drink. A small truck comes by and sells it for 15 lira [$0.80] a bottle. They are all exploiting the situation.” In addition, thousands of buildings, including hospitals, have now been destructed, putting several pregnant women at a higher risk of complications if they don’t receive the required medical care.
Things are even more challenging for women who have either lost some of their family members during the Syrian war and have since been fending for themselves and their children single-handedly. So to bear another shock of this scale is not only emotionally but also physically challenging. With the lack of male members in the family, the recent disaster—will, once again—serve as an opportunity to exploit, abuse and harass these women, leaving them with no safety and protection mechanisms.
It is in light of this grim situation that the international community needs to act, and act fast, to ensure that the humanitarian response to the earthquake is developed from a gendered lens — keeping women’s needs, concerns and problems at the centre — ensuring protection to survivors who have suffered gender-based violence; providing safe spaces; access to health care and food; and an easy approach to aid organisations.
Akanksha Khullar is a visiting fellow with the Observer Research Foundation
The views expressed are personal
