5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 highlights the unique ways women and children experience disasters and their increased vulnerability to cascading and multi-hazard risks. The COVID-19 pandemic, marked by the "she-cession" and its disproportionate impact on women and children, has underscored significant disparities during crises. This session will explore how disasters affect women's and children's health and well-being in Japan and globally, and will make recommendations on ways to promote and implement disaster prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery, guided by equity and human rights principles.

Research on how a human rights-based approach impacts women's and children's health after disasters is limited. This session aims to fill this gap by providing empirical data and evaluations from social sciences, critical public health, and critical disaster studies perspectives. We adopt the WHO and OHCHR's understanding of a human rights-based approach, focusing on achieving the highest standard of health-related and quality life rights through participatory, inclusive, transparent, and responsive processes.

Invited researchers will share insights on how disaster exposure affects women and children, fostering discussions on more inclusive disaster management and response models. This interdisciplinary exchange encourages meaningful conversations and highlights opportunities for future collaborative work.