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still face barriers on road to recovery
In India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, the final week of the year was filled with ceremonies commemorating the anniversary of the tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004, taking the lives of more than 200,000 people and wiping out countless homes and communities.
Two years after the tsunami, recovery is far from complete, but survivors continue to rebuild their lives and find hope in the wake of tragedy.
Thanks to the generous response of our members and supporters, UUSC and the UUA jointly raised more than $2 million to aid tsunami survivors. We are working with our local program partners in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and India -- the last in cooperation with the UUA’s Holdeen India Program -- to aid tsunami survivors who are marginalized and therefore disadvantaged from getting relief and assistance in reconstruction. These groups include Dalits in India, war-torn communities in Aceh, Muslim widows in Sri Lanka, and Burmese migrants in Thailand.
Aceh, Indonesia
On our last visit to Aceh, we saw new homes dotting what had been a moonscape on previous visits. In fact, homes and communities are being rebuilt up and down the coasts of all these countries so badly hit by the tsunami.
However, as in all disasters, rebuilding happens much more quickly for some than for others. On the northern coast of Aceh, where relief efforts were hampered by the civil war until it ended in August 2005, rebuilding is progressing much more slowly. Many people were discouraged from returning to their communities because of the war. UUSC partner Permata works with seven communities where survivors insisted on returning to rebuild their homes, and now almost two-thirds of their homes in these communities have been rebuilt.
Women in Aceh have faced particular challenges since the tsunami, challenges that are mirrored in other tsunami-affected countries. A rise in domestic violence, especially in the displaced camps, increased early marriage for girls, additional burdens on widows, and fragmentation of communities have all added to women’s vulnerability.
UUSC partners like Bejoung Jumpa, led by young women, work with tsunami widows to help them claim inheritance and land rights so that they can have a base from which to rebuild. UUSC is supporting greater public discussion and action to help women survivors claim their inheritance rights. We are privileged to accompany those who are determined to protect human rights as a means to security, dignity, and prosperity.
Civil war in Sri Lanka
Women survivors in Sri Lanka face the same challenges as their counterparts in Aceh, but with the added complication of an ongoing civil war. On the war-torn east coast of Sri Lanka where UUSC works with our partner Sewalanka, thousands of people uprooted by the tsunami were working hard to rebuild their lives when the civil war there escalated in April 2006. The fighting and accompanying terror has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths and the displacement over 310,000 civilians.
UUSC was working with Sewalanka in communities in Batticaloa and Trincomalee to help marginalized groups -- including women -- rebuild their livelihoods. The fighting has now forced the tsunami survivors to flee to new and hastily built displaced camps in safer zones, leaving behind their hopes of rebuilding their lives in their communities.
Sewalanka reports poor sanitary conditions in camps, inadequate security, and lack of sufficient shelter. Women are particularly vulnerable in these situations. In some communities where survivors were able to resettle after the tsunami, they are receiving waves of newly displaced or are once more fleeing to camps.
The rebuilding process in northeast Sri Lanka -- an area that was profoundly affected by the tsunami -- is hindered by increased unrest and violence. Aid agencies are unable to access certain areas and the government is not allowing access for construction materials for fear they will be used by the insurgency. The latest fighting and the restriction of movement have added another layer to an already complex humanitarian crisis.
Burmese migrants in Thailand
On the southwest coast of Thailand, where UUSC works with Burmese migrants affected by the tsunami, the conflict that affects them is more subtle. The Burmese are undocumented and were prevented by Thai authorities from getting relief. Burmese workers were used in reconstruction but were continually harassed and arrested by the authorities, often enabling contractors to default on paying their wages.
Burmese organizations run by Burmese refugees such as UUSC partner Grassroots Human Rights Education reached out to the Burmese migrants affected by the tsunami. However, the Burmese staff members were frequently harassed and detained by the Thai police because they did not have documents. UUSC helped them get documentation and supported them in providing legal aid to undocumented migrants.
Focusing on human rights in times of crises, whether caused by war or natural disaster — and especially when they occur in the same place at the same time — is essential. In the rush to address important immediate needs like shelter, food, and health care, social structures that can influence who gets support and who gets left out are often ignored. UUSC protects the human rights of the most marginalized groups, enabling relief and aid to be distributed more equally, and helping survivors to rebuild their homes and lives with dignity.
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