Climate shocks amplify child marriage and gender violence in vulnerable regions
After severe floods in northern Nepal, experts warn that climate-related loss is likely to boost child marriage rates and gender-based violence across affected communities.
In the wake of the August 26 floods that devastated northern Nepal, Hayley Cull, deputy chief executive of Plan International Australia, said climate change acts like a magnifying glass on pre-existing gender disparities. With homes and infrastructure destroyed, families face heightened pressure to marry off daughters, potentially increasing the already high child-marriage rates in the region. A broader Plan International survey of 5,000 girls across Bangladesh, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe and Peru revealed that 28 percent observed a rise in gender-based violence after climate-related incidents, and one in ten reported unintended pregnancies.
The report urges that schools remain operational and tuition-free during climate shocks, that climate finance earmark funds for girls' health services, and that emergency kits contain menstrual and contraceptive supplies. At a pre-COP31 opening session, Noelene Nabulivou of DIVA for Equality called for women and gender-diverse people to be central to climate decision-making, referencing the Belém Gender Action Plan adopted at COP30, which will be examined in an upcoming panel.
Why it matters
Climate disasters can worsen gender inequality, increasing child marriage and violence against girls.
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