A week after the earthquakes, the UN stated that the current death toll of 33,000 could double, with the earthquakes now standing as the sixth most deadly natural disasters of this century. What is clear is that these disasters have already worsened extremely challenging conditions for women and girls in both affected countries. In Syria, women and girls have faced extraordinary challenges since the civil war began in 2011, from the obvious consequences of war to displacement into makeshift homes, to physical violence and an increased risk of child marriage. As of December 2020, UN Women reported that only 27.9% of indicators needed to monitor the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Syria from a gender perspective were available. As well as in Syria, these earthquakes are straining gender relations in Türkiye, which in recent years has seen society shift to become more socio-politically conservative under President Erdogan. For example, in 2021, Türkiye left the Istanbul Convention, a legal framework to promote gender equality and address violence towards women and girls. 

This article aims to give a brief, but detailed, overview of the pressing issues these earthquakes have created for women in these countries and how a deeper analysis of gender disparities in these states is needed if humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts are going to be successful from a long-term viewpoint. However, in socially conservative states with cultures often too simply seen as repressive by “Western” media and societies, outlining these issues already comes with complexity. 

Women and girls appear to come under significant risk after natural disasters, whereby the destruction of the societal fabric - homes, support systems and basic necessities - increases scarcity and the risk of harassment, sexual exploitation and violence. Scholars have begun to analyse this troubling correlation as the prevalence of natural disasters only continues to increase due to the rising threat of climate change. Whilst a larger body of evidence is still needed, Thurston et al (2021) noticed positive associations between disasters and violence, and hypothesise three possible pathways as to why this occurs: an increase in stressors that trigger violence against women and girls, the emergence of enabling environments for such behaviour, and lastly, disasters expose and exacerbate any underlying problems already present of violence towards women and girls. 

Türkiye 

In Türkiye, the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) states that out of the approximately 15 million people affected, over 214,000 are pregnant women, and approximately 24,000 are expected to give birth within a month. With hospitals ruined (and many doctors killed or injured from the earthquakes) and safe spaces destroyed, pregnant women face an uncertain present. UNFPA described the chaos of Buseyna’s situation, a woman who travelled one hundred kilometres from her home in Adıyaman - the local hospital was over-run with earthquake casualties - to Şanlıurfa, where a UNFPA safe space provided assistance. UNFPA is trying to distribute as many reproductive health services to earthquake survivors in Türkiye as possible given the circumstances, such as dignity kits and basic hygiene items essential for women and girls. Issues remain with women feeling ashamed to ask for such products, and with many aid workers being male, some women feel they cannot talk about female-related subjects. 

Additionally, due to the scale of devastation and the urgent need to address the deceased and urgently injured, many women and children remain unsupported after receiving immediate packages. The BBC reported on a woman in Iskenderun, who is ‘sheltering with her children and grandchildren, including a six-year-old who has epilepsy’, and has only so far received duvets and some bread. Moreover, many women and children affected in Türkiye are refugees from Syria and so are already some of the most in need in Turkish society, with the earthquakes triggering PTSD and underlying mental trauma from their experiences.

With immediate health needs aside, Euractiv reports that in badly-hit Antakya, remaining shop owners are emptying their stores to avoid looting, as unease, anger and potential violence loom in these desperate times. And so, with reports of societal fractures and looting, the risk of violence towards women increases as the immediate rescue efforts merge with dealing with these disasters and human needs and emotions.

Syria

In Syria, news spread around the world of the birth of a baby under the rubble after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck North-West Syria. This event is not only a miracle but a reminder of the consequences women face from the devastations of the earthquake. Women in Syria are incredibly vulnerable, with the United Nations Development Programme expressing how women are fourteen times more likely to die in times of disaster. With the loss of homes and hospitals, women are at risk of gender-based violence and health concerns going unobserved. The UNFPA has reported damage to their previously established Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSSs) in Syria. The immediate priority is to repair and get these shelters up and running again. 

In Aleppo, a city in North-Western Syria which has been significantly affected by the earthquake, the government-controlled areas are now at a greater risk of increased gender-based violence; with inadequate WGSSs, many women have been forced into unisex shelters. The UNFPA has announced the government-controlled areas of Aleppo are currently managing 126 of these temporary unisex shelters with capacity running high, with 13,000 displaced in these shelters, of these the majority are the most vulnerable groups, with 55% to 65% of the displaced being women and girls. These shelters are at their limit, with an extreme lack of resources, no heating, temperatures in the region going into the minus degrees Celsius, and lack of space have further increased the risk of gender-based violence. The earthquake has forced women into shared washing areas, leading to an increased risk of sexual exploitation. 

Moreover, the impact of the earthquake on mental health has been under-reported, and in Syria, women have also been dealing with the impact of the civil war since 2011. According to the UNFPA, Aleppo reported 62,000 pregnant women at the time of the earthquakes who are in desperate need of maternal care. As of the latest report, there are two functioning hospitals in Aleppo, with only one of them possessing a gynaecology department, which also lacks sufficient staff. These two working hospitals have also sustained significant damage from the earthquake. Due to the shortage of supplies, no emergency operations can take place. To tackle these issues, the UNFPA has supplied emergency reproductive kits and focused on spreading their 20 mobile units consisting of gynaecologists and midwives to tackle the physical and mental health effects of the earthquake. Those girls and women who have been found in the WGSSs that remain in use are also lacking resources, specifically to care for their menstrual needs.