Mackenzie Nace

Since it is my first time in Nepal, I have eagerly seized every moment to thoroughly immerse myself in the rich culture of this beautiful country. Over the course of my initial three weeks, I climbed up the 365 steps to Swayambhunath, visited Kapan Monastery, and tried the famous Nepalese momo on a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Boudha Stuppa. I also dedicated an entire Saturday exploring the Newar historical and architectural sites in Durbar Square, located in Lalitpur, the City of Fine Arts.

Upon my arrival, I was greeted by a seasoned guide. He was all too excited to charge me the highest price available for a tour of the plaza, which contains a royal palace and over 55 shrines and temples. As I walked through this bustling square full of street vendors, tourists, and followers of both the Hindu and Buddhist religions, I couldn’t help but notice the many stones scattered haphazardly around the streets. The guide explained to me that the heritage site was still undergoing extensive restoration from the earthquake in 1934 and the more recent earthquake in 2015. He proceeded to point out different cracks in the structures, also created by one of the earthquakes. Having recently completed a course in disaster-risk reduction, the impact of earthquakes in Nepal fascinated me. Through subsequent research, I learned that the more recent 7.6-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks took the lives of nearly 9,000 people and injured more than 21,000. Additionally, the direct damages and losses were estimated at USD 7 billion, which amounts to around a third of Nepal’s total GDP. Half a million houses were destroyed, the majority of which were concentrated in poor communities and rural areas.[1]

Beyond the more visible destruction, I also discovered that the immediate impacts of the earthquake placed over 40,000 women at risk of gender based violence (GBV). [2] The Post Disaster Needs Assessment attributed this to existing inequality, lack of economic resources and alternative livelihood opportunities, limited access to assets, and the burden of domestic duties.[3] The aftermath of the earthquake also witnessed a stark rise in human trafficking, with data from the Nepal Police Headquarters revealing a 150 percent increase compared to the preceding fiscal year of 2015-2016.[4] Among the most vulnerable were women and girls from marginalized groups, children separated from families or orphaned, and people with disabilities. Such disasters not only highlight but also exacerbate existing vulnerabilities among different population sub-groups. Even within the context of the same disaster, these groups bear a disproportionate burden of harm.

Following the earthquake, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched a comprehensive project aimed at restoring and fortifying infrastructure in Nepal. This initiative saw the reconstruction of 154 school buildings, now resilient to disasters, and equipped with water and sanitation facilities alongside sex disaggregated toilets. 301 kilometers of district roads were also repaired, incorporating enhanced road safety features and climate resilience. Furthermore, the project saw the restoration of 57 severely damaged buildings and the repair of 61 slightly damaged structures.[5] Contemplating the rapid and effective humanitarian response which followed the earthquake, I am forced to acknowledge the pressing need for a more robust response against GBV and human trafficking in the aftermath of such disasters. No matter how complex a disaster-risk response is, it will always be easier to repair the cracks you can see. The underground nature of crimes like GBV and human trafficking, however, significantly complicates post-disaster intervention, resulting in a much slower overall recovery process for countries susceptible to natural disasters.

[1] “Nepal: Gorkha Earthquake 2015.” PreventionWeb, 3 Aug. 2021,https://www.preventionweb.net/collections/nepal-gorkhaearthquake2015page=7#:~:text=The%20Gorkha%20Earthquake%20in%20Nepal,over%20100%2C000%20people%20were%20inured.
[2]  Bista, Sapana, et al. “Violence Against Women and Girls in Humanitarian Crisis: Learning from the 2015 Nepal Earthquake.” South Asian Journal of Law, Policy, and Social Research, vol. 1, issue 2, February 2022, pp. 49 – pp. 96.
[3]“PostDisasterNeedsAssessment,”vol.A,2015.https://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/SAR/nepal/PDNA%20Volume%20A%20Final.pdf.
[4] Awale, Sujata. “Human Trafficking on the Rise.” The Himalayan Times, The Himalayan Times, 25 Sept. 2016, https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/human-trafficking-rise. [5] “Nepal Earthquake Rehabilitation Builds Back Better Infrastructure.” Asian Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, 1 July 2022, www.adb.org/results/nepal-earthquake-rehabilitation-builds-back-better-infrastructure.