Letters from the Field - 10 June 2006 - Kashmir

Letter to Procap Colleagues - 10 June 2006 - from Kashmir

Hi to all of you. I realize that I have been in Pakistan (Kashmir) for nearly  6 weeks. Before I left, we talked about starting a list serve for ProCap Protection Officers to exchange info, share experiences, and perhaps support each other in facing various challenges. Perhaps you have been talking amongst yourselves -- since I have never been able to access my ProCap email address, I may have missed out on a conversation. In any event, I thought I'd take a few moments on this Saturday afternoon to drop a line. (I am making the assumption that what we write here stays amongst us – so that we can be candid and open.)

            Its hot here. In the 40s during the daytime. The tents we sleep in (fortunately, it does gets cool in the evenings and we are able to sleep -- even need a blanket) are like saunas between 8.00 and 17.00. So there is little to do on a Saturday except stay in our air-conditioned work tents and work. Ditto for Sunday. The compensation is that we do get R&R every 6 weeks - so on Wednesday, I will be off to Sri Lanka for a short break.

            For those who don't know, my assignment here was to take over the Protection Cluster in Muzaffarabad  - the epicentre of the earthquake which hit this region in October of last year, leaving 88,000 dead, over 100,000 injured, and between 2.5-3.3 million people homeless. As this was a natural disaster – not a conflict – UNHCR did not want to take on the role of Head of Protection, which fell to UNICEF – to which I am seconded. UNICEF has exercised this task with considerable reluctance and a rather narrow focus -- basically on the vulnerable – especially children (orphans), widows, the elderly -- and a strong concern that too much emphasis on protection (or human rights) could antagonize the government, precisely when UNICEF has access to areas of the country largely closed to UN agencies before the quake. Moreover, by the time I arrived, the majority of the IDPs had returned, or were on their way back, to their villages and all of the clusters (except protection) were in the process of being handed over to the Government.

            Assuming that the emergency was drawing to a close proved, however, to be an over-optimistic assessment. After a seismic report was received by the Government, 18 villages near Muzaffarabad (with a population of approximately 50,000) were declared unsafe and a decision was taken to evacuate these – and bring the population down to camps – if possible, before the monsoon. There is a very high risk of landslides with the heavy rains but – just this week – a new government assessment has reduced the number of people that should be evacuated from 50,000 to between 15,000. [Numbers change here daily – and a few thousand one way or the other hardly seems to matter.] The evacuation was to have started early June – but nothing has happened yet. UNHCR was to have assisted the Govt with a mass information campaign, to explain to the villagers why they are being evacuated, to where, for how long, what they can bring, what assistance they can expect, etc. That was to have been a precondition for UN involvement. But, it seems as if that is also falling by the wayside as the government’s position is that the people are already informed and more is not needed. So – it is a bit of a hard row to hoe. Most NGOs have either little knowledge or interest in protection (essentially considered a four letter word) and most have turned from relief to reconstruction, as that is where the funds are. So there is very little dynamism in the Protection Cluster – neither UN agencies nor NGOs want to invest time and resources on this front. There are, however, serious protection issues which remain: there are likely to be 40,000-50,000 people in camps this coming winter; conditions in the villages of return (water, electricity, health care, shelter) are not very good and, in some cases, very poor; and many people have been unable to claim the compensation to which they are entitled. Free legal aid is another four letter concept. So – that is the scene, in brief.

    Except to say that Kashmir is beautiful. I visited the Leepa Valley this week and the scenery was breathtaking – undoubtedly one of the most spectacular vistas I have seen. And the people are warm and welcoming and in desperate need of someone to advocate on their behalf.

    So – let’s see what happens.

I’d welcome news from all of you.

Laurie