Women are 14 times more likely than men to be killed by disasters resulting from climate change according to a report released by Trócaire.
Released on Tuesday it notes that despite barriers for women engaging in decisions on climate change they “are often at the forefront of tackling climate change and human rights abuses and articulating the need for transformative change”.
According to the research, women are far more likely to be impacted by climate change and corporate human rights violations worldwide.
It shows that natural disasters increase young girls’ risk of being subject to human trafficking by 20-30%. Attacks on female human rights defenders are rising with 137 women attacked in 2019 for defending their communities. Under half of these were against indigenous women and affected rural communities.
Bertita Zúñiga Cáceres, leader of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras (COPINH) spoke at the launch of Trócaire’s Lenten campaign of her experience of violence toward female human rights defenders. “Around the world, women face huge risks in standing up for their rights in the face of injustice perpetrated by big business taking advantage of vulnerable communities.”