What do Sexual Education, the Environment and Peace have in Common — Lionesses of Africa

by Filipa Carreira, Founder of Wamina 

There is a strong correlation between gender inequality, climate vulnerability, and state fragility. Exponential population growth is leading to rapid resource depletion. The populational pressure on the planet exacerbates the risks related to global warming, deforestation, and decreasing biodiversity. The ability of women to exercise their rights to family planning, deciding whether to have children, how many and when, is intrinsically linked to the health of our planet. It is in the best interest of everyone, men, and women, from developed and developing countries, that sexual health and rights education and family planning reaches all communities, especially those more vulnerable to the direct impact of climate change and conflict.

In many regions, rising temperatures, extended droughts, floods, and consecutive natural disasters resulting from climate change exacerbate conditions that threaten peace and security. Conflict and insecurity flair as natural resources become scarce triggering violence and groups being displaced or forced to migrate. Due to structural gender inequality, women are disproportionately affected, for instance: deforestation directly impacts rural women who must walk longer distances to fetch wood and water leaving them vulnerable to physical and sexual violence. Women and girls face disproportionate economic burdens, gendered expectations can lead women and men to resort to violence when traditional livelihoods fail. And as men join armed conflict or are forced to migrate, women become sole providers of the home leaving them vulnerable to poverty and sexual exploitation. 

The urgent need for a holistic gendered response to the linkages between climate change and conflict means women in the forefront of climate actions, especially at a community level, play a vital role in the planet’s health, prevention of conflict, and sustainable peace keeping. The face of development is changing, long gone are the days when international NGO led, monolithic responses represented our efforts to save the planet. Today there is a creative, innovative, and tech savvy community of individuals, local initiatives, start-ups, and even big corporations, dedicated to positively impacting the world we live in, let’s focus on that.