Preface

Floods in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB)are no longer isolated emergencies. For many communities, they have become recurring events that reshape everyday life, health, and safety, particularly for women and girls. Pakistan is consistently ranked among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, with floods accounting for a significant proportion of disaster-related displacements each year. Recent assessments indicate that women, young girls, and children make up over 70% of those displaced by climate-related disasters in Pakistan, deeply reflecting gendered vulnerabilities in crisis settings. (UNFPA Pakistan.)

Following the completion of Phase II under the BehnChara Fund initiative, Baithak – Challenging Taboos conducted a series of field visits across flood-affected areas of GB in October 2025. The purpose of these visits was to understand the evolving realities of communities affected by recent floods, reconnect with women and groups previously supported through relief efforts, and assess current and emerging needs to inform future programming over the next two to three years.

The visits focused on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), menstrual health management, maternal health, and psychosocial wellbeing in post-disaster settings. Existing research highlights that humanitarian responses often deprioritize SRHR. A rapid assessment in Pakistan’s flood-affected areas reported that about 77% of women had limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and had not received any sanitation, hygiene, or delivery supplies. (Ashraf, M., et. al., 2024).

Particular attention was paid to how displacement, damaged infrastructure, and limited access to gender-sensitive services continue to shape women’s experiences long after the immediate flood response has ended. Mental health issues in northern Pakistan’s mountainous regions are largely unspoken because of social stigma, even though symptoms like anxiety, sleeplessness, and depression are noted by local health workers and community members. (Ebrahim, 2022). Empirical evidence from Pakistan indicates that female gender is associated with a higher likelihood of developing mental health conditions such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression following flood exposure. (Yousuf, J., et. al., 2023)
The assessment also sought to understand local response mechanisms and governance structures, including engagement with community leaders and government officials. Early observations revealed that women remain largely excluded from local flood relief and decision-making committees, despite bearing a disproportionate burden of caregiving, health management, and recovery work within households and communities. This gap in representation has significant implications for the design and effectiveness of relief, recovery, and resilience-building efforts.
The field visits were carried out by Baithak’s team, along with a clinical psychologist. Each visit involved direct engagement with women, community mobilizers, and local health workers, creating space for participants to share experiences that are often overlooked in formal assessments. These conversations form the foundation of this report and guide its recommendations for sustained, gender-responsive, and community-led interventions.

This report is intended for humanitarian and development practitioners, government and disaster management authorities, public health professionals, feminist and women-led organizations, researchers, and donors working at the intersection of gender, climate justice, and community resilience. It also serves as an evidence base for policy dialogue and advocacy spaces seeking to design gender-responsive disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery systems. While grounded in specific communities of GB, the insights are relevant for broader regional and global conversations on climate-induced displacement and women’s wellbeing.