Sheetal Sharma
Climate Change and gender based violence are two concepts that are rarely discussed together. However the impacts of climate change are felt most acutely by vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls. One of those impacts being the alarming rise in the instances of gender based violence. Climate Change refers to a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates. These changes bring about wide ranging effects, many of which exacerbate social issues.
The United Nations defines Gender Based violence as any harmful act directed at an individual based on their gender. It includes physical, sexual, psychological, and economic harm or suffering, as well as threats, coercion, or deprivation of liberty. GBV disproportionately affects women and girls, though it can impact individuals of all genders. The rapid changes experienced by the earth’s climate consequently trigger a chain of events that have led to women being more vulnerable and at higher chances of violence be it emotional, physical or sexual.
Relation between Climate Change and Gender Based Violence
Climate Change and its capacity to affect humans is vast and its impact has and is being felt by societies all around the globe. One of such social impacts is the rise in gender based violence . Women and girls become more vulnerable due to climate change as in the aftermath of the extreme weather events there is usually a breakdown of law enforcement agencies, poor accessibility to health facilities, social structures break down and gender based discrimination increases and women and girls face higher risk of being left behind during stress migration or being sexually, psychologically and physically violated.
The risk of GBV also increases as a higher percentage of women are employed in the informal sector and during disasters face increased risk of economic vulnerability and dependence on others. Such risks and relations can be observed during extreme weather events. Slow risk climate events pose different challenges for women but also result in GBV risks, mostly women are employed in activities that are low paying and climate dependent thus when changing climate starts impacting natural resources women slowly drift into a financial crisis, women also have to fulfill their traditional duties of taking care of household activities and with poor resource availability they become more prone to health issues, stress and partner violence.
Women often tend to stay back at home as they have to fulfill their responsibility as caretakers, thus they either look for some other form of employment or girls might have to withdraw from schools to contribute in household chores so that their mothers can go find some livelihood, these all cases make them even more vulnerable to GBV.
Fig – Impact of climate change events on women and girls.
Effects of Climate Change on the Lives of Women and Girls
Women and girls are subjugated to a variety of gender norms and they are often discriminatory in nature and when any form of disaster hits, be it an acute, micro or extreme weather event the impact on women and children is the most acute. Some of the effects of climate change on the lives of women and children are as follows
- Health Impacts – Women are the most vulnerable to health issues during climate change and the social and cultural constructs also amplify their chances of catching diseases.
- Economic Impacts – Women are more dependent on natural resources for their livelihood like fishing, aquaculture activities, agricultural activities etc. and these get impacted with rising temperatures and uneven weather patterns.
- Psychological challenges – Floods, earthquakes, droughts such disasters lead to emotional stress, and depression.
- Affects Food Security – High dependence of poor and vulnerable communities on agriculture and recurrence of poor rainfall patterns and droughts has affected food security immensely, and with women and girls having the role of caretakers their condition deters more.
Way Forward
International law currently lacks provisions specifically addressing the intersection of GBV and climate change. Major agreements such as the Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol do not consider this issue. The exacerbation of GBV by climate change is a growing concern, reflected in phenomena like rising child marriage rates due to climate-related family stresses. This highlights the urgent need for international guidelines to safeguard women and girls.
It is an emerging issue with multiple variables at play and is a new challenge at the hands of lawmakers. Several agencies are now studying the issue to propose relevant laws. As the impacts of climate change continue to unfold, addressing these emerging challenges is critical. Alongside legal measures, community outreach programs and the efficient coordination of health and legal facilities during disasters, tailored to the needs of women and girls, can play a significant role in reducing their vulnerability.
References
- gbv-aor-helpdesk-climate-change-gbv-19032021.pdf
- Gender-based violence | UNHCR
- van Daalen, K. R., & et al. (2022). Extreme events and gender-based violence: A mixed-methods systematic review. The Lancet Planetary Health, 6(6), e504-e523.
- Dimitrov, B. E. G. (2019). Effects of climate change on women. Research Review International Journal of Multidisciplinary, 4(5), 210. ISSN: 2455-3085.
- Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu, Martin Henseler, Helene Maisonnave, Ramos Mabugu. Climate Change and Women – Impacts and Adaptation. International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, 2023, 17 (1), pp.99-152. ⟨10.1561/101.0000015⟩. ⟨hal-04072199⟩
- Desai, B. H., & Mandal, M. (2021). Role of climate change in exacerbating sexual and gender-based violence against women: A new challenge for international law. Environmental Policy and Law, 51(3), 137–157.
About the contributor: Sheetal Sharma is a fellow at EGBVF Ending Gender-based Violence Fellowship at IMPRI and is Bachelor of Commerce graduate from ARSD College, Delhi University.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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Acknowledgment: This article was posted by Bhaktiba Jadeja, visiting researcher and assistant editor at IMPRI.
