New report says Climate Change increasing risks of violence against women in Africa

Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - With the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC predicting an increase in natural disasters and the subsequent devastation in communities around the world, gender-based violence risks becoming an even bigger problem if it is not properly tackled, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) obtained Friday by PANA in Kigali.

It said that the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is a mainstay of the UN calendar, has assumed a new dimension with the challenges presented by climate change.

"Unfortunately, violence against women and girls is deep-rooted in our societies and the international observance serves as a symbol of resistance as well as a call to action to eliminate gendered physical, economic and psychological violence," the report said.

The 2019 theme is ‘Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape.’ 

While Climate change is recognized as a serious aggravator of gender-based violence, the UN agency noted that around the world, climate change-induced crises have also been shown to worsen domestic violence, whether in relation to sexual and reproductive health or  discrimination against indigenous communities.

It said that violence against women is not limited to developing countries. Research conducted into natural disasters, such as bushfires and droughts, in one developed country found that they have increased the risk of domestic violence in rural regions.

It is also an issue that goes beyond domestic gender-based violence.

In addition the UN agency stressed that climate action is therefore an essential component in the ongoing fight to eliminate violence against women and girls. 

The world also needs greater involvement of women in climate action, for example by putting an emphasis on gender mainstreaming in the policymaking process it said.

Tackling the issue of violence against women and girls is an important step towards achieving the core objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to leave no one behind. This aligns with the need for gender equality and gender mainstreaming, the report said.

-0- PANA TWA/VAO 29Nov2019