An Earth Day Call to Action
Children around the world bear the brunt of the climate crisis by suffering increased violence. It is estimated that 175 million children will be severely impacted every year over the next decade by climate-change related drought, flooding, hurricanes, rising temperatures, migration, and armed conflicts. This shocking figure will only drive higher the nearly one billion boys, girls, and nonbinary youth already subjected to some form of physical, emotional, or sexual violence each year.
This Earth Day, we urgently call on governments to tackle the root causes of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and to invest in social protection mechanisms that will reduce violence against children.
A growing body of research now links abuse of children to climate change. For example, during a drought in Kenya, assault and rape increased as women and girls had to walk greater distances in search of water and fire wood. Teenage girls in Bangladesh - one of the most affected countries by the climate crisis - reported abuse and sexual harassment in emergency shelters in the aftermath of extreme weather disasters. A study in North Carolina following Hurricane Hugo revealed an increased rate of inflicted traumatic brain injury in children. In the Phillipines, after a Typhoon Haiyan, child labourers were trafficked to Manilla for sexual exploitation. An on-going investigation in Mozambique and Malawi documents “how climate change is creating a generation of child brides.”
A child’s right to protection from violence is a human right outlined in the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. This treaty, ratified by 196 countries (except, unconscionably, the U.S.), binds nations to international law. But world leaders' failure to act on climate change renders such commitments hollow and useless. We can not allow this injustice to continue. Governments must provide protection for their most vulnerable citizens and the fragile ecosystems that sustain us.
Violence against children, like climate change, is preventable. Empirical studies of youth (ages 10-20) who participated in our No Means No Worldwide (NMNW) prevention program demonstrate significant increases in girls’ assertiveness, boundary setting, and self-protection skills needed to escape when facing sexual assault. With boys, these studies found significant increases in gender-equitable attitudes, enhanced recognition of violent situations, and new skills for intervening when they witness violence against others.
Our proven programming has earned recognition by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control as an effective violence prevention intervention. Now operating in 10 countries, and with a network of over 80 partners, our goal is to reach one million+ youth a year, but we can’t do it alone.
On this Earth Day, we stand at a critical moment for the world’s children, our planet, and the future. Now is the time to join forces and double-down in our collective efforts to save generations of youth from the devastating trauma of abuse linked to climate change. We urge government leaders, the private sector, donors, and citizens alike to be champions for children and the environment by protecting both and working with NMNW to end violence.
