The number of girls at extreme risk of facing the double blow of climate change and child marriage is set to increase 33% to nearly 40 million by 2050, reveals new estimates from Save the Children.
The organisation released thereport “Girls at the Centre of the Storm: Her Planet, Her Future, Her Solutions,” on the eve of International Day of the Girl .
GROWING RISK FOR GIRLS
New estimates indicate that the number of girls at extreme risk of experiencing both climate change impacts and child marriage will rise by 33% to nearly 40 million by 2050. Currently, about 29.9 million adolescent girls live in the top 10 child-marriage-climate hotspot countries, with projections indicating this number will increase to 39.9 million by 2050.
These hotspot countries face severe climate risks and often have the youngest and fastest-growing populations in the world.
CRISIS AT THE INTERSECTION
The intersection of the climate crisis and child marriage has created emergency hotspots for girls’ rights in countries such as Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa.
The top countries facing this crisis include Central African Republic, Chad, and Guinea. These nations are disproportionately affected by severe weather events, conflict, poverty, gender inequality, and hunger.
CONSEQUENCES OF EARLY MARRIAGE
Child marriage has devastating consequences for girls. They are less likely to stay in school, leading to lifelong economic impacts. They face isolation and increased risks of physical and sexual violence. Child brides also face greater dangers during pregnancy and childbirth.
Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International, Calls for Urgent Action: “This research shows yet again the extent to which the climate crisis is jeopardising children’s rights – particularly the rights of girls.
“The risks to girls are real. It’s the risk of sexual harassment and abuse girls face in the chaotic aftermath of a disaster, where overcrowding and lack of safe services leave them exposed. It’s being forced to marry before they reach 18, as families, impoverished by years of droughts, are going hungry and having to make impossible decisions about whose mouths to feed.
“The global climate crisis is already changing girls’ lives and futures. Yet despite these unequal impacts on girls, less than 2% of national climate plans across the globe mention girls and give explicit and meaningful consideration to the needs and involvement of girls. Girls are demonstrating extraordinary resilience in the face of these challenges, yet their demands and solutions are rarely included in discussions about the planet they will inherit. This is unacceptable.
” Urgent and effective investment is key to adapting to climate change, and is particularly critical for children, especially girls who are highly susceptible to the short and long-term impacts. Current spending almost ignores children entirely – this needs to change.”
HUNGER CRISIS
Save the Children highlights that at least 49 million people, including girls and their families, are on the verge of starvation worldwide due to longer-lasting droughts and the conflict in Ukraine, leading to a hunger crisis of unprecedented scale and severity.
The report reveals the urgent need to address climate change’s disproportionate impact on girls, who are often overlooked in discussions and solutions. It also calls for swift and effective action by governments, NGOs, the UN, and businesses to prioritize girls’ rights in the face of the climate crisis.
