SAARC nations must focus on child safety during disasters:NDMA

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) vice-chairman M Shashidhar Reddy today called upon SAARC countries to work together in evolving a mechanism to fight disasters and safeguard lives, especially children.
"We can learn from each other, we can work together. Learn from our good practices, our success stories. And work in a manner that can lead something for the rest of the countries to emulate," Reddy said here at the inaugural function of SAARC Regional Training Programme on 'Children Safety including Children with Special Needs in South Asia'.
The seven-day programme is being conducted by the University of Kashmir in Collaboration with SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC), New Delhi.

Reddy said children are often less focused on during a disaster and it happens even in developed countries like the United States of America.
"It is not just us (the South Asian countries) or in the lesser developed countries across the world, that children suffer more during a disaster. Even in developed countries, for some reason or the other, enough attention is not being paid. But we should not derive any sense of complacence... We should always strive to look after children in disasters. It is time for us to look ahead," he said.
He said there is a need to be continuously vigilant to safeguard the future of children.

"NDMA is particularly looking at the school safety aspect as during an earthquake a large number of school buildings collapse and many children die. It is very important to focus on school safety and spreading awareness among children about what to do and what not to do will help a lot," he said.

"Healthy children will make a healthy society. Children are the world to us," he said.
Reddy asserted that poor people suffer most of the damage during a disaster and said there is a need to evolve a mechanism for safeguarding lives especially of children and women in an eventuality of natural calamity.

"Whenever the disasters strike, it is the poor who suffer the most because it is these people who live in the most vulnerable areas. And for this, the community based disaster preparedness would help a great deal," he said.
The vice-chairman said it is more important to make people aware of what to do during a disaster and how to save their lives.
"We have to spread awareness among the people and conduct more mock drills. Rescue teams and force sometimes take time to reach. Teaching people what to do to protect them is extremely important," Reddy added.