7 The Impact of Gender-Based Violence on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction:

Gender-based violence (GBV), defined as violence directed against a person based on gender or sex, has only been recognised since 1992 as a form of gendered discrimination and a violation of human rights (UN Women, 1992; Scriver, 2023). Today, it is seen as a global public health concern, emphasizing the need for radical change (WHO, 2018). Due to cultural norms, biological, social, and economic inequality, women and girls are more vulnerable and as a result more commonly a victim of GBV than men. All these factors increase their exposure to and ability to escape violence, which undermines their safety and welfare, and creates situations of suffering and abuse (Scriver, 2023). The numbers are high, as nearly one-third of adult women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual partner violence, non-partner sexual violence or both (WHO, 2018). GBV also has long-ranging effects, such as the intergenerational impact on the health and wellbeing of children (WHO, 2021; Scriver, 2023). Therefore, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have included GBV as a sustainability issue in Goal 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and to empower all women and girls by 2030. However, as GBV is predicated on gender inequality, all SDGs are compromised by this issue (Bigler, 2022, p. 10; Scriver, 2023). This essay seeks to explore the interconnections between GBV, sustainability and climate change. It begins with an introduction to climate change and its connection to GBV. Subsequently, the link between the 17 SDGs of the United Nations and GBV is explored. Although almost all the SDGs can be related to GBV, we will focus on a selection of goals that warrant specific attention.

Climate change, sustainability, and gender-based violence:

Climate change (CC) hugely and disproportionally impacts women globally. In many regions, this can be linked to their dependence on natural resources, combined with a lack of control and ownership over land, as well as discriminatory laws and norms which render the even more acutely vulnerable and less independent in the face of disasters (Camey, 2020, p. 138). The latter has been linked to an increase in domestic violence within crises situations, (Dankelman, 2016, p. 13) as was observed in Vanuatu in 2011, which reported a 300% increase in new cases in the wake of two tropical cyclones that hit the country (UN Women Fiji, 2014). Furthermore, climate impacts can lead to the loss of property and livelihoods, migration, or displacement. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (2023), there were 32.6 million people internally displaced due to disasters in 2022, a figure 41% higher than the annual average for the previous decade. Not only do many women face forms of GBV during their migration process, but they are also likely to find scarcity of access to education, employment, housing, or healthcare upon reaching their destination (ibid.).

The fourth SDG concerns the “Quality of Education”. Research has shown that GBV can be closely linked to education for several reasons. For one, girls may not have equal access to education because the school is often an unsafe place for them (Kirk, 2007, p. 122). Girls may be exposed to the dangers of sexual harassment, violence, and exploitation initiated by male students and teachers (ibid.). Furthermore, the journey to and from school can be another risk for girls (Kirk, 2007). The journey can require schoolgirls to navigate through dangerous areas, often exposing them to further risk of harm. Resultantly, many parents might reconsider allowing or encouraging their girls to go to school for safety reasons (ibid.).

The sixth SDG, “Clean Water and Sanitation” is based upon a global lack of clean water and sanitation, which is a key determinant of the vulnerability of women in seeking to attend to their own and their family’s immediate needs (SDG 6, Target 6.2). Often, the most disadvantaged groups, such as Dalit women in parts of India, face compounded risks of verbal abuse, threats, physical or even sexual violence when making the journey to collect water essential for health and sanitation (House et al., 2014, p. 15).

The eighth SDG, “Decent Work and Economic Growth” is also intimately linked to GBV. Women and men can both be victims of violence at the workplace. However, women are more likely to experience work-based sexual harassment and assault (Bigler, 2022, p. 8). Consequently, women who have experienced such harassment tend to be less productive, as their wellbeing has been jeopardised or disturbed (International Labour Organization, 2019). Violence within the workplace also leads to increased absenteeism and drastically impedes the pursuit of achieving decent work and economic growth for all.

Conclusion:

The degree of discriminatory, unfair, and unjust treatment women experience daily is both starkly evident and extremely concerning. This is exacerbated by the fact that we currently live in a world experiencing catastrophic climate-related issues, which tend to disproportionately impact women and widen the gap between economies and standards of living. Responding to this, there are several ways the global community could endeavour to eradicate such urgent problems, which are particularly felt by those who are less advantaged within society. In this report, we discussed how women are at such a high risk of experiencing sexual, emotional, financial, and economic exploitation. It is currently estimated that one-third of women are subjected to at least one form of GBV in their lifetime (WHO, 2018). One way we can improve our overall understanding and ability to address issues relating to GBV is by adopting a more intersectional perspective. We cannot view GBV in a vacuum. There must be a broadening of strategy which seeks to address all facets of society, to change and improve legal frameworks and mechanisms designed to pursue justice for all those who have been victims of GBV and other forms of discriminatory violence within society. Finally, it is necessary to empower and adequately resource those organizations working arduously daily to prevent, protest, and provide aid to victims and their families. As discussed, the United Nations and other organisations are consistently committed to utilising the SDGs to eradicate these issues (UN Women, 2019). We hope that such crucial progress will be achieved, and that current and future generations will take the necessary steps to permanently end GBV and remove the material risks, constraints, and discrimination currently faced by women and girls.

References

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