Save the Children Child Rights Perspective in Response to Natural Disasters in South Asia A Retrospective Study Save the Children fi ghts for children’s rights. We deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children’s lives worldwide. Save the Children works for: • a world which respects and values each child • a world which listens to children and learns • a world where all children have hope and opportunity ISBN 99946-2-149-1 © 2006 Save the Children Sweden – South and Central Asia Region This publication is protected by copyright. It may be reproduced by any method with- out fee or prior permission for teaching purposes, but not for resale. For use in any other circumstances, prior written permission must be obtained from the publisher. Project Manager: Ravi Karkara Report by: Bala Raju Nikku, Nepali Sah, Ravi Karkara with Sibghatullah Ahmed Contributors: Meenakshi Batra, MD. Atiq Uz Zaman and Ershad Ahmed Production: Neha Bhandari and Prajwol Malekoo Copy edit: Sandhya Rao Images: Save the Children Canada, Asia Regional Offi ce; Save the Children Sweden, Regional Offi ce for South and Central Asia; Save the Children Sweden-Denmark, Bangladesh; Save the Children Sweden, Pakistan; Save the Children UK, India Design and Printing: Kapila Printers and Publication Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu First Published 2006 Published by: Save the Children Sweden Regional Offi ce for South and Central Asia Sanepa Road, Kupundole, Lalitpur GPO 5850, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: +977-1-5531928/9 Fax: +977-1-5527266 [email protected] [email protected] www.rb.se Table of Contents PREFACE v FOREWORD vii ACKNOWLEDGMENT ix ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS xi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY xiii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2 ANALYSIS OF COUNTRY SPECIFIC DISASTERS 11 2.1 Child Rights and Floods: Tarai, Nepal 11 2.2 Child Rights and Earthquake Disaster: Bhuj Earthquake, Gujarat, India (2001) and South Asia Earthquake (Pakistan and India) (2005) 18 2.3 Child Rights and Cyclones: Orissa, India (1999) 24 2.4 Child Rights and Fire Disaster in Bangladesh 27 2.5 Child Rights and the Tsunami: Indian Ocean Tsunami, South India and Sri Lanka (2004) 32 CHAPTER 3 CHILD PARTICIPATION IN DISASTERS 38 Case 1 : Nepal : Children’s Solidarity 38 Case 2 : Children’s Neighbourhood Parliaments and the Tsunami: India 40 Case 3 : Children Based Emergency Preparedness Planning and Response: Rapar, Kuchchh, India 41 Case 4 : Preparing Children for Disasters in Andhra Pradesh, India 43 Case 5 : School Mapping in Sri lanka 45 CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 46 ANNEXURES 1. References 50 2. Checklist for interviews with policy makers, implementers, NGO and donor representatives on child rights and disasters 53 3 Annotated Bibliography 57 4. Country Case Studies 66 iii Preface Save the Children fi ghts for the rights of the child. It bases its work on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) to achieve lasting benefi ts for children within the communities in which they live, infl uencing policy and practice based on hands-on experience and research. As a pioneering child rights agency, Save the Children has the global mandate and commitment to protect, respect and promote the rights of children in any situation including emergencies. Being a rights based organisation that works from a Child Rights Programming approach, Save the Children is committed to address principles of accountability, non-discrimination and child participation. Children are perceived as mere victims and therefore, their needs and rights are not adequately addressed in policies and rehabilitation programmes carried out by various state and non-state actors. We need to treat them not only as victims but also as actors in the post disaster scenario. This makes it important to mainstream child rights in disaster mitigation and preparedness programmes as well as to build mechanisms that facilitate adequate child participation. The research helps in learning from the past so that we are better prepared for the future. It highlights and asserts the belief in working with children as social actors in change. There are some very good examples of how children and community members can work together to respond to and prepare for disasters. I express my thanks to all the contributors in this key research. Special thanks to Ravi Karkara for bringing forth the need for such a research. I congratulate Bala Raju Nikku, Nepali Sah, Meenakshi Batra and Sibghatullah Ahmed for their hard work and for pulling together this very important piece of work. Last, but most essentially, I thank all the girls and boys for their partnership in bringing about a change. Lisa Lundgren Regional Representative Save the Children Sweden Regional Offi ce for South and Central Asia v Foreword Working from a rights perspective in emergencies implies strengthening the accountability and capacity of all actors such as governments, communities and families to address child protection issues and to re-construct communities. In addition, it implies that all actors must listen to the voices of girls and boys and take actions based on their agenda and priorities and involve them in designing interventions for reconstructions. It also implies that we reach girls and boys from various backgrounds (such as age, caste, class, religion, ethnicity, disabilities) and give them equal possibility to have their voices heard. Further, it implies addressing root causes of rights violations in the reconstruction phase and taking actions to challenge inequalities and discrimination. Furthermore, it is vital to build a large constituency of actors strengthening rights of children and communities. Opportunities to foster children and young people’s understanding, values and experience of democratic participation and active citizenship can occur in families, schools, local and national communities. Children and young people have been involved in activities in diverse geographic and institutional settings at different levels. These include personal and local as well as national, regional and global levels. Children’s participation in institutions and processes of their every day reality is more likely to have a deeper and sustainable impact than participation in remote settings. Homes, schools, the street (for children living on the streets), workplaces (for child workers) and children’s organisations are all important focus areas for participation work. The strength and experience gained in these arenas enhances children and young people’s engagement in policy development.1 Ravi Karkara Regional Programme Manager Save the Children Sweden Regional Offi ce for South and Central Asia 1 Claire O’Kane (2003) Children and Young People as Citizens: Partners for Social Change, Save the Children Sweden vii Acknowledgement This regional research is a combination of secondary and primary research carried out in the South Asian countries. During this research, there was involvement of people from various offi ces - both Save the Children and other organisations. We would like to thank all those people involved in this research directly and indirectly and those who contributed to this research, either by providing fi rst hand information in the form of an interview or discussion or secondary information. We would like to thank Zahid Hussain - Emergency Preparedness Advisor of Save the Children in Sri Lanka; Sanjeeva De Mel - Executive Director of SERVE (partner of Save the Children in Sri Lanka); Tissa Rajaguru - Child Rights Advisor of Plan Sri Lanka; Stanley R. Joseph - Programme Advisor of ZOA - Refugee Care Sri Lanka; Chandila Colombege - Manager, Children’s Programming of World Vision Sri Lanka, for providing information through interviews and contribution of secondary materials for the research in Sri Lanka. We would also like to thank colleagues (Nawal Kishor Yadav - Programme Coordinator, Dineshwor Sah - Programme Offi cer, Neeraj Karanjeet - Documentation Offi cer, and Anand Sah - Block Mobiliser) from Aasaman Nepal, Dhanusha programme team for their giving interviews for this research; Naresh Singh - Secretary of Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), District Chapter, Dhanusha; Satya Narayan Sah - Executive Director of Social Development Path (SODEP), Dhanusha; Birendra Yadav - Executive Director and Raj Kishor Rajak - Field Offi cer of Samaj Uttan Yuva Kendra/Care Nepal (Dhanusha); teachers and students of Sri Ra. Pra. Vi. Dholbaza, Kiratpur, Dhanusha; Dr Ajay Kant - Programme Coordinator, Rakesh Mandal - Programme Coordinator (DPP), Devendra Kumar Mandal - Administration and Field Supervisors; Sudeep Paswan and Tulasa Sapkota of RCDSC; Bijay Chowdary - Accountant and Subar Man Mahatwa - Coordinator of CBDP at offi ce of Nepal Red Cross Society, District Chapter, Mhattari; Jay Mukund Khanal - Chief District Offi cer (CDO) of Mahotrai District; Bir Kumar Shrestha – Programme Offi cer of Save the Children Japan based at Mahotari district; Rita Dhakal Jayasawal - Programme Manager and Celso B. Dulce - Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor, Samadhan Programme of CARE Nepal, Dhanusha, Robin Maskey – Programme Coordinator, Care Nepal, Kathmandu; Khilanath Nirula - Primary Education Offi cer of Save the Children US based in the District Education Offi ce, Siraha; Rajdev Yadav - President and Ashok Kumar Yadav - Programme Coordinator of NRCS, District Chapter, Siraha; Ramakant Chaudhary - Team Leader, Shankar Kumar Paudel - Education Programme Offi cer and Rambir Chaudhari - SANDEEP Programme Coordinator of SCDC; Sukhilal Chaudhari – Founder Member of SCDC; and teachers and