This is the first article in a two-piece series looking at the impact of gender balance in humanitarian surge staff and the challenges women and girls face when responding to a disaster.
When a disaster hits, surge staff are the first on the ground to assess and implement the immediate response required. Currently, the majority of surge staff are male, and this impacts the assistance provided.
Women and girls have different needs and responsibilities in the event of a crisis and pre-existing gender inequalities can often mean their needs are not voiced nor heard as much as men if there aren’t women included in the decision-making. Additionally, the incidents of both domestic and sexual violence against women increase following a disaster, and often there are further negative consequences such as women turning to sex work in order to cope.