Climate Change: 40 Million Girls at Risk

A new report by Save the Children indicates that nearly 40 million girls in Africa are at risk of facing the double blow of climate change and child marriage by 2050. 

Development Diaries reports that the report, Girls at the Centre of the Storm: Her Planet, Her Future, Her Solutions, also shows that around two-thirds of child marriages happen in regions with higher-than-average climate risks.

Despite contributing only a small share of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, Africa is disproportionately affected by climate change.

It is understood that climate change is harming food security, ecosystems and economies, fueling displacement and migration and worsening the threat of conflict over dwindling resources.

The top ten child-marriage-climate hotspot countries – those with the highest likelihood that a girl will marry as a child and experience catastrophic climate disasters – are home to an estimated 29.9 million teenage girls today, according to the report.

Early marriage, a practice that persists in many parts of Africa, has profound and lasting effects on the girl child. Despite efforts to combat it, this harmful tradition continues to rob countless African girls of their childhood, education, health, and future prospects.

One of the most significant consequences of early marriage for African girls is the interruption of their education. This educational setback perpetuates the cycle of poverty and limits their potential for personal and economic development.

Early marriage also exposes African girls to various health risks. Many young brides have not yet reached physical maturity, making them vulnerable to complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

Additionally, they often lack access to proper health care and family planning services, increasing the risk of maternal and infant mortality.

As the world marks the 2023 Day of the Girl Child, Development Diaries calls on governments and other relevant stakeholders in Africa to recognise the climate crisis as an emergency for girls’ rights.

Also, urgent steps must be taken to adapt to climate change, especially for girls who are highly susceptible to the short and long-term impacts.

Photo source: DFID

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