Colliding Crises: How the Climate Crisis Fuels Gender-based Violence

Excerpt:  “Climate change and violence against women and girls (VAWG) are inextricably linked. These links have been well established but inadequately addressed. For decades, feminist organizations and women’s movements have pointed out that climate change exacerbates VAWG, and a range of studies have shown how these impacts slow progress across the Sustainable Development Goals, including in education, health, peace and security, and economic growth. It is also well-documented that violence inhibits climate action, threatening women’s and girls’ ability to continue to act as agents of change and reducing our collective capacity to fight the climate crisis. Despite these links, only 0.04 per cent of climate-related development assistance has gender equality as a primary focus, hinting at the small share that goes to VAWG-related efforts alone. We can no longer afford to ignore and under-resource the critical voices and efforts at this intersection. This brief aims to spark conversation and collaboration across climate and VAWG actors to end violence against women and girls as a foundational – and urgent – part of the climate action agenda.” (footnotes omitted)