The number of people living in the Pacific region who have been affected by disasters has increased from 1.2 million to 18 million since 1980. Impacts include death and injury; destruction of homes and infrastructure such as hospitals and schools; and loss of assets and livelihoods.

The socio-economic impacts of disasters can erode development gains and threaten sustainable development. During and after disasters, women are affected more significantly than men, due to gender inequalities and power imbalances in access to resources and relevant information. Global evidence shows that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) increases during and after disasters. The Pacific region, where SGBV rates are already high by global standards, is no exception to this trend.

SGBV is an existing, persistent, and prevalent problem across the Pacific. Violence against women and girls in the region is among the highest in the world, and UN Women estimates that 60 to 80 percent of women and girls in the Pacific Islands will experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetimes.

The climate crisis accelerates gender inequality. According to WHO, disasters can increase the severity of violence in an abusive relationship because women are separated from support networks that offer protection. For example in Vanuatu after two tropical cyclones in 2011, Women’s Counselling Centre reported a 300 percent increase in new domestic violence cases.

Going forward in the fight against SGBV, we must be aware of the interconnections between gender and climate justice in the Pacific. We need to improve capacity of prevention and response systems at the local, national, and international levels to support women in disaster response and adaptation strategies. At COP26, countries and non-state actors have come forward with new commitments to strengthen the resilience of women and girls in the face of climate-related impacts and to recognize differentiated impacts based on gender. 

Join us in the 16 Days of Activism to discover more on this and other risks factors exacerbating violence against women and girls. Stay tuned here for our livestream event on 8 December at 10am Fiji Time.