U.N. Report Links Climate Events to Rise in Child Marriages and Violence
New U.N. report ties climate events to increased child marriages, teenage pregnancies, and violence against girls globally.
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A new United Nations report has linked climate events to a rise in child marriages, teenage pregnancies, and violence against girls across the globe. According to the charity Plan International, natural climate events such as floods, droughts, cyclones, and extreme heat are disrupting health and education services that girls depend on, while also forcing families to marry off young daughters as a ‘survival strategy.’
Global Impact and Statistics
The report, titled ‘Change Her Forecast, the State of the World’s Girls 2026,’ was based on interviews with 5,000 girls and young women aged between 15 and 24 in Bangladesh, Kenya, Peru, Senegal, and Zimbabwe. It found that one in 10 girls reported an unintended pregnancy following a climate-related event, and 33 percent reported an increase in unintended pregnancies in their community.
Additionally, 28 percent of respondents said they had witnessed an increase in violence against women following climate-related events. The report also highlights that nine in 10 girls said climate-related events were placing serious pressure on their family’s survival, health, and stability.
Global Context and Regional Disparities
South Asia, including countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, is home to the largest number of child brides in the world, with an estimated 285 million or around 44 percent of the global total. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for around 18 percent of the global total, at 115 million.
The United Nations climate chief, Simon Stiell, cited the report as evidence at a U.N. ‘pre-COP’ gathering in Nadi, Fiji, stating that climate-driven extreme heat during pregnancy is increasingly linked to premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and maternal complications.
Upcoming Climate Summit and Funding Gaps
The annual U.N.-sponsored global climate summit, known as COP31, is set to take place in Turkey next month. Organizers predict more than 100,000 people from nearly 200 countries will attend the event in Antalya. This comes after the release of a U.N. report in August that found developing countries need $310 billion to $365 billion to adapt to climate change but only have $26 billion in adaptation finance available in 2023.
‘We rely on and we appeal to countries to commit to climate finance,’ said Tabuya, urging more funds to be sent to U.N. agencies.
Source: Breitbart
