ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 turns to disaster response and recovery. It considers what response and recovery might mean, in the context of our argument in the book so far that GBV and disasters form layered disasters because of structurally entrenched gender inequalities. First, as victim-survivors are the ‘first responders’ to layered disasters, the chapter considers the different ways that victim-survivors cope and rebuild from the impacts of GBV during disasters and continue their lives. Their resilience and stories of hope, within highly constrained circumstances, underline the need for improved interventions for tackling GBV within disaster management. We then explore critiques of existing formal disaster responses, management and recovery, which often ignore or underplay gendered impacts such as GBV. Following this, and partly based on what our respondents suggest would help them and their families, we offer recommendations for disaster planning and management that involve understanding local contexts, taking action to reduce vulnerability and responding better to GBV during disasters. Due to the complex nature of GBV and its interrelationships with local cultures and traditions, however, lasting change must involve addressing the structural inequalities experienced by women, both in particular places and globally. The chapter concludes by returning to the conceptual framework around layered disasters developed in the book, highlighting the need for more radical transformation, and identifying some hopeful signs in recent years.
