The Government of Uganda has moved to mitigate potential drivers of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in wetland management in the face of the current upsurge of climate change impacts.
The government, through the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), is implementing several initiatives aimed at building the resilience of wetland ecosystems and communities towards climate change. One such initiative is the Building Resilient Communities, Wetland Ecosystems, and Associated Catchments project in Uganda.
However, gender experts say that the more the climate changes, the more likely that communities will experience GBV as households strive to adapt. Ms. Josephine Kamisya, the Executive Director at the Centre for Domestic Prevention (CEDOVIP), says, “Every single increase in temperature has a direct link to an increase in levels of GBV.”
Climate change exacerbates GBV by worsening conditions like poverty and displacement, increasing vulnerability for women and girls. Extreme weather events and resource scarcity can intensify intimate partner violence and forced child marriage. Furthermore, GBV can limit women’s participation in climate actions, Kamisya adds