PESHAWAR, Sep 08 – Provincial Ombudsperson Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, H.E. Rubab Mehdi, has emphasized the urgent need for a gender-responsive flood relief strategy to protect the most vulnerable groups, including women, children, the elderly, and the transgender community, in the wake of devastating floods across the province.
Speaking at the fourth meeting of the Legal Aid Committee of Da Hawa Lur, Rubab Mehdi underscored the critical importance of ensuring safe and accessible washrooms, establishing free legal help desks for families who lost essential documents, distributing hygiene kits, and setting up medical camps and ration support tailored to vulnerable populations.
She further stressed that disaster relief must go beyond immediate aid, calling for sustainable rehabilitation measures such as compensation for women in rural areas who lost livestock a vital source of their livelihood.
Rubab Mehdi’s leadership placed strong focus on inclusivity, urging institutions like NADRA to facilitate flood victims who lost identity documents, while also highlighting the need for psychological support and counselling for traumatized women and children.
The meeting, attended by social activists, lawyers, media representatives, and members of Da Hawa Lur, reinforced the call for a specialized Gender Task Force to coordinate relief and rehabilitation with a focus on dignity, equity, and protection of all vulnerable communities.
