Accra: Ms. Maribel Akuorkor Okine, a Lay Counsellor and Gender and Peace Advocate, has raised concerns that perennial flooding presents significant peace and gender challenges beyond the damage to infrastructure.
According to Ghana News Agency, Ms. Okine emphasized that floods displace people from their homes into shelters where resources such as water, food, and aid become scarce, leading to competition and tension. She pointed out that when aid response is slow or unequal, it erodes trust in institutions, compromising community peace due to the lack of clean water, safe shelter, and dignity.
In crowded shelters, women and girls encounter reduced privacy, limited access to sanitary products, and increased risks of gender-based violence, while pregnant and nursing mothers often miss crucial health services. Ms. Okine highlighted the necessity for emergency plans to prioritize the most vulnerable groups. She noted that individuals with disabilities face challenges in evacuation and lose access to necessary assistive devices.
Furthermore, Ms. Okine explained that girls are at higher risk of sexual exploitation, early or forced marriage, and dropping out of school when hygiene needs are neglected. Boys, on the other hand, face risks of engaging in unsafe labor, withdrawing from school to support their families, and experiencing unaddressed mental health issues. Men also bear specific pressures, including the loss of livelihoods, restricted mobility to provide for their families, and mental health challenges.
The advocate called for inclusive flood response plans that consider and incorporate the concerns of women and other marginalized groups. She stated that floods are not merely weather events but tests of peace, where unsafe shelters, unequal aid, and exclusion from decision-making foster conflict and erode trust. Ms. Okine added that floods impact health, education, markets, families, community relations, gender, and peace.
She concluded by asserting that flood response should not be viewed solely as a responsibility of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO). A broader approach is essential to maintain peace, as relying on a single agency overlooks the wider efforts required.