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Climate Justice

Climate change is a major crisis today, and it affects women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in Ethiopia. 

Women and girls are more affected because they have less power. With worsening climate disasters, people’s homes, jobs, food, water, and safety are at risk. This leads to more gender-based violence and unplanned pregnancies. As a result, women and girls need more sexual and reproductive health care, but it’s harder to get during and after disasters. In the end, the climate crisis affects reproductive rights.

Our research shows Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) exacerbated during humanitarian crises. Survivors predominantly suffered sexual assault, with transactional sex, early marriage, female genital cutting, and abduction also prevalent. SGBV disclosure and care seeking were challenging due to the overshadowing priority of basic needs. However, those most affected have solutions, and we need to pay attention and take action. Following research, Ipas Ethiopia conducted a series of advocacy workshops to include sexual and reproductive health care in all climate mitigation and response policies and strategies and to avail GBV and SRH services to the most affected communities.