Gender-based violence before, during and after cyclones: slow violence and layered disasters.

: This paper investigates the mutual relationship of gender-based violence (GBV) and cyclone disasters. Evidence is sparse on this topic, especially in-depth research attending to the socio-economic and cultural aspects of locality. The research reported here is a case study of a coastal region in Bangladesh, carried out shortly after Cyclone Roanu (2016), that aimed to shed light on the mechanisms linking GBV to cyclones through the eyes of survivors. The paper maps out different forms, experiences and impacts of GBV before, during and after cyclones. It argues that cyclones lead directly and indirectly to GBV, and that GBV makes women and children more vulnerable to the effects of disasters. Climate change, poverty and economic loss compound this cyclical relationship. We develop a conceptual framing, that draws on Nixon's (2011) 'slow violence', to understand the layering of forms of violence that operate on what appear to be different temporal and spatial scales. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.