Climate change is making gender-based violence worse, but few people think about it, said Nargis Kosimova, doctor of Philology and director of the non-governmental organization Ecologist (Uzbekistan), on the sidelines of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
She explained that all over the world, including in the Central Asian region, environmental problems such as water shortages, land degradation, biodiversity loss and temperature rise are becoming acute. She adds that women and children in rural areas are the first to suffer from this.
The organization Ecologist conducted a study in the Jizzakh region and the Republic of Karakalpakstan in 2023, which included 293 women, 30% of whom had disabilities. In the survey, 72% of women responded that they suffer from environmental problems and violence.
This story was produced with support from Internews' Earth Journalism Network. It was first published in 24.kg on November 16, 2024. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Banner image: Landscape in the Aidarkul area of the Jizzakh region in Uzbekistan / Credit: Farrukh Abdujabborov via Unsplash.
Anastasiia Bengard
