Earlier this year IANGEL produced a research paper on the intersection of women, culture and climate change, to inform the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights’ report on climate change. IANGEL’s report “Women, Cultural Rights and Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities in Response to the Global Crisis” was released in the Spring and will be posted as a submission to the mandate of Special Rapporteur, Karima Bennoune on the website of the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights in the coming months.
In direct response to COVID-19 and the unprecedented impacts this pandemic will have on this issue, IANGEL produced a special addendum to our report particularly addressing this topic. This addendum has now been completed and submitted to Special Rapporteur Bennoune with special thanks to Zoya Chakourski, IANGEL intern and lead writer. Excerpts from the report are highlighted below and the full report is available at the bottom of this page.
COVID-19’s Devastating Impact on Rights and Health
“The fear, grief, and economic upheaval wrought by the global pandemic has affected every gender, culture, country, and continent. But COVID-19 has had a particularly devastating effect on women . . . especially vulnerable populations, such as poor, disabled, migrant, or displaced women, as well as young girls and victims of domestic abuse . . . COVID-19 has also aggravated the risks that climate change poses, with special impact on women. Time and resources that would be devoted to climate crises are being diverted to address COVID-19. The pandemic is stressing already fragile communities, as they must battle COVID-19 on top of other health, security, and climate threats. On a global scale, COVID-19 is disrupting key climate efforts, such as international meetings and a global climate summit hosted by the UN . . .
Similarly, young girls and victims of domestic abuse face greater dangers from the pandemic. During crises, young women and girls experience disruptions to their education and protective structures, increased stress from health and economic burdens, and currently, a rise in cyber violence. Girls may face higher rates of child marriage due to factors resulting from COVID-19, such as familial economic hardships, suspended education, and inability to access reproductive services. Physical and/or sexual violence against women increases during times of crisis. Indeed, the global pandemic and resulting shelter-in-place directives have caused a spike in domestic violence worldwide. For example, reports of domestic violence in China have tripled compared to the previous year, domestic violence in France increased 30%, and emergency calls in Columbia increased by 90%. Quarantine measures implemented to curb COVID-19 contribute to this increase in violence – as strict restrictions on leaving the home result in women being locked in with their abusers, limiting their opportunities to seek assistance or escape.”
Global Impacts Present New Opportunities for Transformative Change
“In April of 2020, for the first time in history, the price of a barrel of oil in the U.S. went negative; the pandemic reduced the demand for oil so dramatically, that producers had to pay buyers to take it off their hands. This circumstance was not only unprecedented, it was utterly unimaginable just a few months ago. It creates a new opportunity to reimagine a world, in which the death grip of corruption, power, and environmental disaster caused by the fossil fuel industry may finally be loosened . . .
In light of COVID-19’s economic fallout, many global leaders are calling for a response that would combat the pandemic and climate change together. Proposed “green new deals” aim to provide economic stimulus and relief with sustainability in mind . . . By providing infrastructure, social programs and policies focused on sustainability, such packages could support global climate change relief and reshape cultural responses to climate change. This is especially necessary, as past environmental practices – such as deforestation and habitat destruction, which decrease the ecological buffer between humans and disease carrying animals – likely contributed to the spread of COVID-19 and may cause future pandemics . . .
To build a fair and sustainable future, global responses to the pandemic must not only be climate-sensitive, but gender-inclusive as well . . . Although women hold only 7% of world government leadership roles, the pandemic presents an opportunity for women leaders (at the local or parliamentary level) to shape a response that includes empathy and compassion along with preparedness and collaborative decision making . . .
For example, women from the island nation of Vanuatu are taking the lead in battling not only the Covid-19 crisis, but a number of other natural and climate-related issues, including drought, scarcity of potable water, volcanic ash, acid rain and sulfur gas. Vanuatu women use climate science, indigenous knowledge, communication, and community-focused mutual aid to prepare for and combat disasters in a country particularly vulnerable to climate change. Involving women, and especially indigenous women, in disaster mitigation requires a huge shift in the structuring of society, but also provides an opportunity to preserve and protect many cultural practices and traditions while effectively responding to the climate crisis . . .
While its impacts on the world’s health and economy are disastrous, changes brought about by the COVID-19 crisis provide a valuable opportunity to reshape society and enact positive change. Such change must come from a place of inclusion and understanding – the voices of women, scientists, indigenous people and marginalized populations must be at the forefront of policy development – not only for reasons of justice, but for the undeniably positive effects that inclusion of such voices brings . . . Social movements, such as current protests after the murder of George Floyd, also demonstrate the inherent weakness and instability of societies plagued by exclusion and injustice. In this way, the pandemic has brought new urgency to the task of rooting society in values of equality, health, and sustainability.”
IANGEL Recommendations
- Policy change must include a gendered perspective, be grounded in science, and respect the needs of vulnerable populations.
- Local and national disaster response efforts should promote women’s leadership, respect culture, and uplift women’s voices.
- Long term policy goals must focus on equality, justice, and sustainability.