Women and Earthquakes

She said: "You have to be a mother to know what they endure. Children who are in pain come to their mothers to make it better, but with what? Everything is buried under the rubble, sometimes even their husbands, their mothers, or their children." She said: "A Kurdish woman stands like a cypress, she does not bow her head. She suffers from hunger and does not say I am hungry." She said: "Before the earthquake, no cars reached their village, let alone today. Women dug graves themselves to bury their husbands." These were the utterances of a woman who screamed among the mourning of other women on the first day after the earthquake. Those who have experienced major earthquakes say that in the first days, the shock from the rubble is so overwhelming that no one seems to understand how life goes on. But gradually, the grief becomes fresh, wounds become infected, and hunger can no longer be forgotten. But is this experience a human experience where men, women, old, and young are equally exposed to harm? Or do women live a different experience? The answer of Azam Bahrami, a women and environment expert residing in Italy, to this question is: "If we look at this issue from the perspective of differences in needs and capabilities, I think it becomes necessary to see this issue in a feminine and masculine way. This does not mean a gendered view of the disaster that the people of that region have suffered from. In fact, it is an analysis of this matter so that in the transition from this crisis and the subsequent stages, we can examine the needs of the people and the differences in individuals' needs with more precision." Although activists for women's issues have been trying for years to create equality among women and men in laws and traditional and social culture, Iranian women still struggle with obvious inequalities. From the fact that according to the laws of the Islamic Republic, men are considered the head of the family, and with their absence, the family is recognized as an orphaned family, to the lack of security for women in crisis situations and the cultural dominance that defines women as housebound and homemakers, all of these cause women to be in a more difficult position in the event of a crisis. Azam Bahrami says about this: "Statistics show this issue globally and I think it is undeniable. For example, in the tsunami that occurred in 2005, it was reported that 85% of the victims were women. Even in the Bam earthquake, 2,500 to 3,000 women lost their families and became heads of households themselves. I think this issue shows that in the transition from that natural crisis that occurred and afterwards, we need to see these [problems of women and men] as two separate halves." Health care for pregnant women However, it is not only the social and legal differences between women and men that make facing natural disasters more difficult for women. Zahra Safavi, a health worker in the Sarpol-e Zahab region, talks about the situation of pregnant mothers and children under one year old who are under the care of women: "According to the protocol implemented in the region, pregnant mothers must consume nutritional supplements from the fourth month of pregnancy, but unfortunately their medicines are buried under the rubble and they do not have access to these supplements. Also, for children under one year old, we have vitamin A and iron drops, which unfortunately [the earthquake victims] do not have access to, and for the continuation of consumption, the supplements have not yet been distributed." It is unnecessary to remind that considering the nutritional problems that plague most rural areas in Iran, the interruption of these nutritional supplements can have irreparable effects. Sanitary pads, a feminine necessity or a cultural problem However, it is not just the lack of essential supplements that is problematic. Amidst the chaos of aid to the earthquake victims in western Iran, the necessity of providing sanitary pads for the earthquake-affected women has unveiled a part of Iranian culture that had previously received little attention. Just one Instagram post by a prominent Iranian actress garnered 40,000 reactions; reactions that mostly condemned the proposal of menstruating women and their need for sanitary pads as a health necessity. These reactions came at a time when it seems that Iranian women are striving to elevate their socio-political status. The fact that women have constituted more than half of the university population for years is an example of this effort. However, Azam Bahrami says that women's efforts alone are not enough: "This shows that during the social process, at least in the transitional phase, when equality is demanded in a society, in the form of a social movement led by women, the demands of citizens can be very effective and important but not sufficient. There is another necessary condition which is the legal tool, the executive tool, and that there should be support from the government, organizations, and the governmental structure. You see how much the women’s organization or even Ms. Ebtekar has announced that we cooperate or exist, or thank all these women’s organizations that have been working? I read a few simple comments from Ms. Molaverdi on Twitter. This shows that, in any case, there are limitations at the top of the decision-making system that they have submitted to and accepted or that there are limitations that the law is unable to address." Despite all the discussions and debates in the virtual space, Zahra Safavi says that the problem of providing sanitary pads in the earthquake-affected area has been resolved: "Fortunately, from this perspective, we had no problem, and the large volume of aid that was provided met the needs of the people. A movement that I did not think would happen. But alongside baby diapers, there were also sanitary pads. In addition, they were included in the packages of public donations. From this perspective, there was no problem." I asked Ms. Safavi: "But it has been said that since male rescuers distributed these items among the earthquake-affected families, or that the use of sanitary pads has not been established and women are using cloths, many of these aids have actually remained useless. Is this true?" Zahra Safavi replied: "No, the people in our region are culturally rich in this regard, and I don't think there is a case where they would want to use cloths. As I said, a large volume of aid, most of it was sanitary pads for women, which were distributed." Rural women are more capable Despite all the issues and problems facing the earthquake-affected rural women, Azam Bahrami believes that rural women have a higher capacity compared to urban women: "In the villages of Iran, women have a very special role. For example, you see that they work alongside men in agriculture and animal husbandry, even in the case of nomads, women are pioneers, and only the market and buying and selling are managed by men. Otherwise, production and technology are done by women. Because of this, when such damage occurs to the region, the issue of women can become important here." The earthquake in western Iran is also about to pass its critical days, the excitement of relief efforts will subside, and volunteers will return to their normal lives. I ask Ms. Safavi what the main concern of the earthquake-affected women is? "Shelter. Most are worried that their houses have been destroyed and their belongings have been completely lost. Their stress is mostly about this, and of course excluding those whose family heads have also been lost or have suffered losses and their children have died... right now their main problem, their main concern and stress is the issue of shelter." "Shelter, security, ensuring the future of children" According to Azam Bahrami, experience has shown that these are the most important demands of women in crisis areas. "After the Bam earthquake, a survey was conducted among women and men who were affected by the Bam earthquake. In response to the question of what your current and post-crisis concerns are prioritized, the main concern of women was insecurity, fear, and worry about thieves in the area. And how the construction situation would progress because they wanted to return to normal [and school] life sooner. They also expressed concern about the outbreak of diseases. While the main concern of men was the unemployment of young people in the area and the price of land. And that they cannot return to their previous lives."