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Sri Lanka

On December 26, 2004, Sri Lanka was hit by the Asian tsunami that killed over 200,000 people. Today, thousands of women and families remain homeless, struggling for food, health care and housing.

Women have been uniquely affected by the disaster:

• As those principally responsible for the well-being of their children and families, women struggle to provide food, water, healthcare and psychological comfort to traumatized family and community members.
• Women's groups in South Asia have reported an increase in violence against women and children, including rape and trafficking in women and children, in communities devastated by the tsunami.
• According to the World Health Organization, over 40,000 pregnant women were left homeless by the tsunami. Pregnant and nursing women are especially susceptible to waterborne diseases; they require emergency medical attention, trauma counseling, and prenatal care.

What Does the Tsunami Have to Do with Violence Against Women?

The connection between the disaster and violence against women may not be immediately obvious, but, unfortunately, a rise in gender-based violence is a common ripple effect of natural disasters.

In many communities around the world, violence is considered an acceptable way for men to relieve tension and assert control over women. Domestic violence often escalates when men feel threatened as a result of social upheaval or when men experience heightened anxiety because of economic crisis, migration, natural disasters, or war. Moreover, displacement and social chaos destroy mechanisms-such as family protection, legal recourse, and adequate shelter-that sometimes function to protect women and children from violence outside the home. Catastrophes like the Asian tsunami generate vulnerability and stress for everyone, but women are further threatened by the increased likelihood of male violence during periods of crisis.

MADRE in Sri Lanka

To respond effectively to this massive disaster, MADRE has chosen to unite and work with organizations that have the broadest reach possible. We have partnered with INFORM, a human rights organization based in Sri Lanka, to help survivors obtain the services they so desperately need.

With your generous tax-deductible donations, MADRE has helped establish and equip emergency health centers where:

• survivors received emergency medical attention and clean drinking water and;
• displaced women and families received crucial trauma counseling, which will help them cope with the deaths of their children and other loved ones, gradually heal from their trauma, and begin to rebuild.

INFORM

INFORM is a human rights organization. Since the tsunami, they have worked with women's networks on women-specific issues. INFORM is also working to ensure that women are able to participate fully in decisions regarding resettlement and reconstruction, and that land for resettlement is allocated in a non-discriminatory fashion.