Gender-Based Disaster Risk Reduction in the Gulf South: Perspectives From Sexual and Reproductive Health Workers and First Responders

Abstract

There is an increased risk for gender-based violence (GBV), including interpersonal violence, during disasters. This article investigates gender-related issues in disaster risk response in the Gulf Coast of the United States. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit the views of sexual and reproductive health providers and disaster relief workers regarding training and awareness of GBV in the context of disasters. These findings underscore how displacement and housing instability during disasters amplify the risk of intimate partner violence and other forms of GBV, while the absence of systematic training and coordinated partnerships leaves providers ill-equipped to address these complex, long-term impacts.

Keywords

disasters gender-based violence gender inequity women sex and gender minorities

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