2.5. Resettlement Issues

• Gender disparities tend to be aggravated in times of social and economic stress such as resettlement in a new area.
• Women, girls and indigenous people tend to have lower levels of education, skills, health and nutrition than men and boys.
• The gender dimensions of land ownership, control of money, and vulnerability are often overlooked when it comes to compensation for lost property such as farmlands, etc.
• Restricted mobility and lack of exposure to other contexts reduces women's and girls' ability to adjust to new situations.
• Loss of familiar sources of fuel wood, fodder, water and other resources has a greater impact on women and girls because it is their responsibility to collect them.
• Gender disparities embedded in traditional practices often render women and girls vulnerable to violence and stress during resettlement.
• Breakdown of community networks due to resettlement has a greater impact on women because they are a source of help during time of crisis.
• Some women may need special assistance for transport to the resettlement area.
• Adverse effects on women have an impact on the well being of their families, particularly children and the elderly.

Inputs from social scientists during the concept and design stages, and social assessments which specifically address the gender and age dimensions of land ownership and displacement prior to the beginning of civil works are all mitigating actions which can help create frameworks and concrete actions to address these differential impacts.