Women and girls are highly vulnerable after Turkey-Syria earthquake destroys their livelihood
An earthquake survivor reacts as rescuers look for victims and other survivors in Hatay, the day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast on February 7, 2023. (BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)
Many women affected by the earthquake are the heads of households and require additional support
Adevastating series of earthquakes with a 7.8 magnitude hit Turkey and Syria resulting in the deaths of over 22,000 people and injuring tens of thousands more, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in the 21st century.
ActionAid, a global federation working with more than 15 million people, told Salon that the earthquakes exacerbated the suffering of Syrian women and girls who have had to support their families through years of conflict, only to lose their temporary homes.
The number of widows and female-headed households, as well as orphans, has increased since the Syrian civil war began 12 years ago, and the recent earthquakes have left them with an uncertain future.
Sawser Talostan, a local emergency responder working with ActionAid's partner Violet, said that the early morning of February 6 brought back traumatic memories for Syrian refugees living in the impacted area.
"Overwhelmed with flashbacks from the Syrian war, people started absorbing the tragedy the morning after," Talostan said. "After a few hours, when they went back to their homes to grab some stuff, the strongest aftershock took place. It was a massive 7.5 earthquake which caused the remaining standing buildings to collapse, and so the tragedy aggravated."
