Disaster and vulnerable groups of people: "The Voices of Children”

Maureen D. Ruedas, RSWShare An Opportunity Philiipines Inc.

Share An Opportunity Philippines Inc. (SAO Philippines) is a Non-Profit Christian relief, development, micro-

enterprise and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to

overcome poverty and injustice; and to build resilience in all of life

Our VisionGeneration of Filipino children nurtured to their God-given potentials to serve. 

Our MissionWe depend on God as we lead, equip, network, mobilize the Church, families, communities and partners to be responsive to the needs of children at risk.

SAO Philippines currently has 4 programs under its wing: MAKABATA (MAunlad na Komunidad Angkop sa mga BATA), a child-centered community development program; the Resource and Services Development; Communities-Adapt; and Institutional Building

Each year, the country averages 20 typhoons, with five or six causing significant damage.

Children are among the most vulnerable groups of society in natural disasters. They are at risk because of their proneness to injury and their dependence on others for livelihood, decision-making, and emotional support. Also, they are one of the most affected and neglected because people think that they are only children and did not understand the conditions that they have.

Last October 2015, Central North Luzon areas specifically Pangasinan was experienced the typhoon Lando.

As an organization, we are advocating for children participation…

Participation, then, is measured by its quality. In terms of community evaluation, children participation is defined as the involvement of knowledge development, defining problems, gathering information and using the results (Checkoway and Richards-Schuster 2003). By participating in community evaluation, young people can define what they perceive to be problems, rather than having to accept issues that have been identified and mediated by adults or authorities. Despite this progress Chawla (2002) claims that the inclusion of the voices of children and youth represents a new frontier in participatory policy development. (Children in a Changing Climate – research Institute of Development Studies Brighton, Tom Mitchell, Thomas Tanner & Katharine Haynes)

 

In relation to participatory rights of a child in the disaster mitigation process, Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC) guarantees the child’s right to express his or her views freely in matters affecting the child. Article 12 states: 1. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.

Similarly, Article 13 of the CRC also protects a child’s right to the freedom of expression, which includes the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas. Article 13 states:

1. The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice.

Methods The type of research method that used in this study was

qualitative research, specifically interviews and focus-group discussions - part of a program which Share An Opportunities Philippines Inc. (SAO Phils) implements; area of implementation. In order to determine the decision maker’s point of view and to propose strategies for improving approaches to reduce children vulnerability in future disasters. The researcher aims to gather an in-depth understanding of children behavior and participation during and after disaster.

Methods

The respondents in this research are children who will all be coming from one single location – Asingan Pangasinan City, from the randomly selected barangays of Sobol, Macalong, and San Vicente West. The researcher chose the area because of the experience they had during typhoon Lando last October 2015 and this is the communities where SAO Phils implements their programs for children.

Results

Based on the interviews and meetings with the focus group, the children asked different questions for them to determine their decision and to propose strategies for improving approaches to reduce vulnerability in future disasters. These are the following questions:

What are the things you wanted to do by your parents/adults in times of calamities?

Bring foods, clothes, medicines, umbrella, flashlights, battery, mini radio, cellphone, blanket, whistle, rope, chocolates, water, plastic cover for covering and etc.

Our family must talk about our meeting place during and after the disaster.

At early warning, our parents must bring us in an evacuation center like school, church, covered court and etc.

Having an improvised floating device that can used during disaster.

Our parents must obey the rules of the authorities during and after disaster for our safety.

Updated by watching and hearing weather news Our parents must identify where to get help when we are in

danger.

What do you think that the community (school, government, neighbors etc.) do for your survival, protection, participation and development during and after disaster?

Survival- Bring foods, clothes, medicines, umbrella, flashlights, battery, mini radio, blanket, whistle, rope, chocolates, water, plastic cover for covering and etc.

Prioritize us in medication, Prioritize us in relief operations

What do you think that the community (school, government, neighbors etc.) do for your survival, protection, participation and development during and after disaster?

Protection- Bring us in an evacuation center like school, church, covered court and etc. Put early warning devices in our barangay, our parents must coordinate and cooperate to the authorities during and after disaster for our safety. Campaigning against sexually abuse in the evacuation center.

What do you think that the community (school, government, neighbors etc.) do for your survival, protection, participation and development during and after disaster?

Development- Having a Saturday class, tutorial class, group study, children space, reading notes and books, give us training about disaster, conducting counselling for us

 

What do you think that the community (school, government, neighbors etc.) do for your survival, protection, participation and development during and after disaster?

Participation- Give us time to express our opinion as a child regarding disaster, give us position in DRR committee in our barangay, include us in the planning of DRR management in our barangay

What are the safe and unsafe places in your barangay during and after disaster?

Safe Places- house, school, covered court, barangay hall, and barangay health center

Unsafe Places- road, electric post, irrigation, farm, and bridge

Conclusions

In conclusion, disasters that have occurred in recent years reveal the necessity of considering the specific needs of children in various stages of disaster management cycle, especially during and after the disaster. It is very important that we give them roles and listen to their voices because they have that capacity to express what they want and need as a child.

Conclusions

The research indicates that children communicate their views about the risks they face through a suite of formal and informal ways. Informal ways included talking with family members, teachers and friends. Formal ways included linking with teachers through the School Emergency Committee and Parents, Teachers and Community Association; linking with adults through the Community Emergency Committee; and direct liaison with local leaders from various bodies.

Conclusions The researcher recommend that the children must become part

of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) committee in their barangay and school for planning and intervention for the disaster through this we are allowing them to practice their rights of participation as a child in their community. This is a community wide dialogue with children and adults talking and listening to each other. While participation might be implemented on a regional, national scale and even international scale, its implementation is focused on the needs and issues of the local community. Also, conducting more DRR trainings for empowering and strengthening their capacity in times of disaster. Empowering the children will help them not to be at risk in times of calamities.

Children sharing ideas, thinking for themselves, expressing their views effectively, planning,

prioritizing and being involved in the decision making process”.

(Save the Children, 2000: 13)