Discrimination based on gender and caste is hindering the distribution of aid to those most in need after Nepal's devastating April earthquake, say activist groups.
According to a report from Amnesty International, aid is being unevenly distributed to women who head households, members of the lower caste in Nepalese society known as Dalits (or "untouchables"), and people with disabilities among other marginalized groups.
A magnitude-7.8 quake hit the country on April 25, killing more than 8,200 people, followed by a magnitude-7.3 quake on May 12 that killed at least 117 people. Tens of thousands more are injured and many more are in need of aid supplies.
According to Amnesty International, who deployed a team of activists in the wake of the quakes, marginalized communities were often denied immediate aid or had their needs inaccurately assess. Amnesty staffers found that everyone in a certain community was slated to receive 10kg of rice, regardless of whether they were farmers with ample rice supplies or Dalit families who had no rice, save for the supplies buried by the quake.
“Survivors report that in some communities the aid effort has been politically manipulated. Those with ‘muscle’ – political connections – end up claiming desperately needed supplies meant for everyone. All actors involved in the relief and reconstruction effort must ensure that human rights principles are fully respected,” said Richard Bennett, Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Director in a statement released Monday.
In the wake of the deadly quakes, millions of dollars in international relief and supplies has poured into the country. The Red Cross alone has committed more than $9 million in aid to the country. The aid filters down through the local government and aid organizations, and then onto the community, but those in positions of power often have better access, say activists.
The Dalit Civil Society Massive Earthquake Victim Support and Coordination Committee also documented the uneven distribution of aid in Nepal following the earthquake and conducted interviews in Dalit communities.
According to their study, 80% of the Dalits they interviewed in rural areas of Nepal felt there was wilful negligence from local authorities in providing their community with relief and immediate support.
Maria Brink Schleimann, Head of Communications for International Dalit Solidarity Network, told Mashable that with an estimated 260 million Dalits across South Asia, the issue of disproportionate aid distribution due to caste often hinders relief efforts.
"Because the relief is being passed through government channels with local organizations, the discrimination that permeates all of Nepalese society along caste lines will permeate the aid distribution," said Brink Schleimann, who notes that much of the aid is first given to those of influential castes.
Brink Schleimann said it is essential for the local government and aid organizations need to be included in the aid work and coordination efforts. While it is difficult for individual international donors to ensure their aid is being distributed equally, the European Union and United Nations could work to enforce stricter guidelines, said Brink Schleimann.
Brink Schleimann said it is indicative of a larger problem across the region, and said in the wake of the 2004 tsunami that battered Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand, the same problems of discrimination persisted. Studies suggest that Dalits did not get aid on the same scale as other groups.
Activist groups agree that international aid groups and the local government both have a role to play in addressing the root cause of the discrepancies in aid distribution.
“Nepali and international actors – including civil society - have responded to this humanitarian crisis heroically, but there are some serious issues brewing that need to be addressed urgently,” said Bennett.