Thirty-two-year-old Srestha, a mother of three from southern Bangladesh, has long relied on agriculture, cultivating rice and vegetables. However, the increasing frequency of floods due to climate change has dramatically impacted her family’s livelihood.
With no income, Srestha’s husband, Shabbir, became increasingly stressed and frustrated. As months passed without financial relief, Shabbir’s mood worsened. He began to lash out at Srestha, blaming her for their situation.
What started as verbal arguments escalated into physical violence. Srestha found herself trapped in a cycle of fear and helplessness, often trying to placate Shabbir to avoid further conflict.
However, Srestha’s precarious situation is not an isolated case. She represents many women facing climate change-induced gender-based violence which is set to aggravate in near future as impacts of global warming intensifies, as per a new analysis published in the PLOS Climate.
A first of its kind analysis based on the data from 156 countries including India between 1993 and 2019 has shown that climate shocks—such as floods, storms, and landslides—are linked to higher rates of intimate partner violence in the two years following such events, particularly in patriarchal societies where violence against women is normalised.
The study led by UCL researchers in collaboration with Exeter also shows that violence rates were found to be low in countries having a higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
