Social

Home page

Social

World Disasters Report in 2006 publicized

14 December 2007 14:54 (UTC +04:00)

The issue of discrimination in disasters was examined in the report.
Among the groups identified as often discriminated against â€“ often unintentionally, the Report lists the elderly, people with disabilities, certain minorities and women - people whose views are seldom sought out or heard. The problem is sometimes exacerbated by the fact that discriminatory attitudes are formed and fostered inside their own communities or families.
Report says, in 2006, 427 natural disasters were reported worldwide â€“ very close to the 2005 number (433). In comparison with 2005, the number of people reported to be affected by these disasters (142 million) dropped 10 per cent, while the number of people reported as killed (23,833) plunged by nearly 75 per cent. The number of technological disasters in 2006 (297) dropped 20 per cent compared to 2005, the death toll (9,900) decreased by 15 per cent, but the number of people affected grew from 100,000 to 172,000. The deadliest disaster last year was the May 2006 earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, that left 5,778 people dead. /APA/