Syllabus
GS1: Role of women and women’s organization.
Context:
According to a UN report released by the Spotlight Initiative, which finds that climate change is intensifying the social and economic stresses that are fueling increased levels of violence against women and girls.
Key Findings of Report:
A ‘shadow pandemic’ in the making: The report explains that extreme weather, displacement, food insecurity, and economic instability are key factors increasing the prevalence and severity of gender-based violence.
Prevalence and Severity:
- Climate change could be linked to one in every ten cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) by the end of the century
- At least one in three women (over one billion women) experience violence in their lifetimes, including intimate partner violence (IPV), physical aggression, sexual violence, coercion, psychological abuse, and controlling behaviors.
- IPV is the most common form of violence, and many cases go unreported. Only 40% of survivors disclose incidents, with just 7% reporting to formal sources like the police or medical services.
- The risk of more extreme forms of violence, including femicide, sexual exploitation, child marriage, and rape used as a weapon of war, is elevated by climate change.
Link to Climate Change:
- Global warming and extreme weather events (e.g., floods, droughts, and storms) have been shown to increase the risk of violence against women and girls, particularly those already experiencing IPV.
- Temperature rise is directly linked to a 4.7% increase in IPV for every 1°C rise in temperature.
- In 2023 alone, 93.1 million people were affected by weather-related disasters and earthquakes, while an estimated 423 million women experienced intimate partner violence.
- By 2090, up to 40 million additional women could experience IPV annually due to a 2°C rise in temperature. This number could more than double under a 3.5°C rise.
Recommendation:
- Report latest findings emphasise that climate solutions must address rights, safety, and justice if they are to be effective or sustainable.
- Ensure climate action does no harm: Climate solutions must include a gender lens to avoid increasing violence risks for women, such as in carbon credit schemes or mining operations.
- Improve community resilience: Promote gender equality and resource distribution in climate adaptation programs to empower women and girls and enhance their recovery from climate shocks. Scale women-led initiatives in sectors like green energy and climate-smart agriculture.
- Strengthen climate action: Women’s full participation in climate policies leads to more effective solutions, with gender-balanced governance driving stronger climate action, including carbon reduction and sustainable resource management
MAINS PRACTISE QUESTION:
Q. Analyse the multifaceted ways in which the climate crisis exacerbates gender-based violence, particularly in developing countries.
PYQ: “Empowering women is the key to control population growth”. Discuss. (2019)