Hello, hope you all are doing well. This weekend’s newsletter focuses on the relationship between Climate Change & Society, and the upcoming Policy Bootcamp.
Climate Change and Family/Community Dynamics
Extreme weather events are part and parcel of climate change. The impact of these events does not stay only for a limited time but challenges social, economic and political systems across the impacted region.
Here is a recent study by Lancet, the relationship between natural disasters and family/domestic violence has been viewed and reviewed. The study was conducted across 40 countries and analysed the aftermath of disasters in the family dynamics and relationships.
Here are some points from the report:
Events like hurricanes caused damage and post-partum women were insulted, sworn at, shouted at, and even yelled at. Physical victimisation of women increased rapidly from 4.2% to 8.3%.
In India and Bangladesh, cyclone exposure had a positive relationship with emotional and physical violence. Bangladesh witnessed cases of forced marriage, and human trafficking immediately before, or, after the cyclones. In many cases, harassment was reported in shelters which were ignored by communities: “The shelter is not safe for us. Young men come from seven or eight villages. They eve tease [verbally harass] girls and young women. They try to touch or molest them. I feel frightened to stay in the shelters. I stay at my house rather than taking my teenage daughter to the shelters.”
In the Philippines and Vietnam, after the 2013- Typhoon- women and girls became more vulnerable in these regions. The challenge is rooted in the existing gender inequalities, which get more highlighted when survival becomes a priority. International Federation of Red Cross found increased incidences of trafficking for sexual exploitation and abuse.
An interesting correlation between floods and early marriage has been established, with Bangladesh as an example. Spikes in early marriage coincided between the 1998 and the 2004 floods, in the country. These marriages are often less expensive due to flood-induced impoverishment lowering expectations.
In India, the impact of the extreme events had a directed correlation to the economic status and education of the family members. With an observation of increased domestic violence and dowry demands- these incidences stayed common for families with less/no education, poor economic status and alcohol consumption by the husband.
(Source: Extreme Events and Gender-Based Violence: a mixed-methods systematic review, The Lancet Planetary Health)
Policy Bootcamp: Know the Mentors (3-of-7)
Aabha Bakaya is a career business journalist, news anchor, editor, writer and producer. She has worked for major networks like NDTV Profit, ET NOW & Bloomberg TV India. She was the lead anchor for Bloomberg TV India, where she anchored the morning market news, and created the highly-rated shows on entrepreneurship ‘E-Inc’ & ‘Rising Stars’.
Professor Mukul Saxena has served in the Indian Army. Alongside his military career, he has an equally strong academic and public policy profile. A PhD from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, he is a Master’s in Public Administration, from Harvard University. He is also an LLM in International Human Rights Law, University of Essex, UK.
Atul Khera is a leadership development consultant contributing to social change impact through upskilling and experiential learning initiatives. He is currently serving as Programme Coordinator for Young Innovators Fellowship Programme 2022 at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in New York City.
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