Challenges Faced by Marginalized Communities in a Post-Disaster Context: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Many international organizations embrace the ideals of resilience and inclusion in the service of marginalized communities but neglect their inclusion in post-disaster settings. It is imperative to explore the challenges faced by marginalized communities to increase their inclusion in the post-disaster context. Therefore, this paper presents a systematic literature review of the challenges facing marginalized communities in the post-disaster context. The study identified 57 challenges faced by children, women, people with disabilities, and older adults under six categories: social, health, political, infrastructure, economic, and communication. The most common challenges all four marginalized communities face are the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, the struggle to acquire the necessities of life due to unequal distribution, the lack of income-generating opportunities, and sexual and gender-based violence. Most studies focus on women’s challenges, followed by those of children, older adults, and persons with disabilities. The study also explored the challenges faced in terms of intersectionality, experienced by groups of people who fall under more than one marginalized community. Finally, a conceptual framework was developed to improve the inclusion of marginalized communities during the post-disaster context by incorporating the challenges as one of the key components of the framework.

Effective Stakeholder Management for Inclusive Post-Flood Management: Sri Lanka as a Case Study

“…This lack of coordination among stakeholders has become one of the main reasons for the exclusion of marginalised communities in the post-flood context. Mendis et al [19] recently conducted a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by marginalised communities in the aftermath of floods. The study highlighted the need for stakeholder engagement at all levels in enhancing the decision-making process to promote inclusiveness and better interaction with stakeholders.…”

Women in Disaster Policy: A Bibliometric Mapping of the Research Literature 2015-2023

“…The findings are similar to research byRakib et al (2017), who stated that inadequate disaster mitigation and management strategies aggravated the vulnerability of people, especially women, in disaster. Moreover, a lack of accessibility and opportunities to education and resources results in women being socioeconomically disadvantaged(Kantamaneni et al, 2022;Mendis et al, 2023), especially those who are widowhood or live in a family without male household lead(Bhadra, 2017). Age also considerably contributes to the vulnerability of women-young girls perhaps struggle to continue their education, while women who are middle-aged face obstacles in facing the economic burden in post-disaster.…”