Gender-inclusive disaster management policy in Bangladesh: A content analysis of national and international regulatory frameworks

Abstract

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to disasters in the world. Women, children, elderly, persons with disabilities, and adolescent girls hold the record of being most susceptible to disasters. For ensuring an inclusive disaster risk management, it is essential to include a gender perspective in the national and international policy and regulatory frameworks. The main objective of the study is to examine the status of the inclusion of gender in disaster management processes in the national and international policies and legal documents from the perspective of Bangladesh. In this research, content analysis of national and international policies and legal frameworks was conducted using text mining technique. Ten crucial issues were identified from the available secondary sources such as documents, research publications, and reports. After conducting an assessment of the issues, scoring was done in three categories: mostly, moderately, and marginally addressed issues. Although gender issues have not been addressed at a similar pace, it is revealed that access to early warning system and women empowerment are mostly discussed by the legal frameworks. Also, identification and assessment of gender-related needs, assurance of gender-based income opportunities and equal participation in decision-making issues are addressed moderately. On the other hand, a specific mechanism for gender-inclusive access to relief system, combating gender-based violence, ensuring gender-based security in the shelter, and access to information and resources are marginally addressed. To facilitate gender-inclusive disaster management in Bangladesh, all of the gender-related issues need to be appropriately addressed at the local, national, and international levels.