Gender-based violence and environment linkages: why they matter and what to do

One in 3 women experiences sexual or physical violence in her lifetime. Not only do types and forms of gender-based violence (GBV) vary—from physical to sexual, to psychological, to economic—but impacts do, too. Quietly noticed but seldom documented much less addressed are specific environment-related connections: women and girls disproportionately responsible for water, food and fuel collection in remote areas—especially in post-disaster areas—face heightened risk and rates of GBV, for example. Presenting ground-breaking cross-sector research from IUCN and USAID (https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/48969), exploring emerging strategies and promising practice from across IUCN membership and network, and launching new collaborations, this session will discuss how environment programming can and must avoid GBV—while offering powerful opportunities for rights-based transformation.