In the summer of 2010, Pakistan has been hit by one of the worst natural disasters in its history, as massive floods inundated large parts of the country. Beginning in late July in the northern region of Pakistan, the flood waters swept into all four provinces of the country resulting in an estimated 1600 people losing their lives, flooding more than one-fifth of Pakistan’s territory and leaving a staggering 20 million people affected.
Our long-standing partner organization Shirkat Gah - Women's Resource Centre, like many other NGOs across the country, provided a significant contribution to the flood relief. In their film "The Swollen Rivers", the attention is drawn in particular on the gender-specific aspects of the various problems the population had to deal with. Due to traditional patterns of conduct and role models in the Pakistani society, women were and still are especially affected by the events. Issues of reproductive health, general lack of access to related facilities provided by the government and sexual harassment are some of the focal points. Therefore, the film provides an often neglected view at the special needs of women in times of natural disasters, and it also documents the scope of relief that Shirkat Gah has delivered in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
To learn more about the work of Shirkat Gah - Women's Resource Centre – about their relief work in other provinces of Pakistan or in general – please, visit also their media gallery: http://www.shirkatgah.org/video-gallery.html. For us, the 100th Anniversary of the International Women’s Day is a welcomed opportunity to focus on the special issues of women in Pakistan as well as highlight the excellent work our partner organization Shirkat Gah is doing in this regard for more than 35 years now. Despite of not being a relief organization, but realizing the gravity of the situation, Shirkat Gah has provided special attention and support to the flood affected females. Beyond the immediate relief, they will continue to support their constituencies, which would include other important aspects of women as well.
Language: Urdu
Subtitles: english
Duration: 14 Minutes 29 Seconds
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