Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and Intimate Partner Violence in East African Agrarian-Based Economies

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• Severe weather events disproportionately affect agricultural communities.
• Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant global health issue.
• Climate change may exacerbate existing social vulnerabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between severe weather events and intimate partner violence (IPV) in East African agricultural settings.
• To quantify the increased odds of IPV in regions experiencing extreme weather.

Main Methods:

• Utilized IPUMS-DHS data for IPV frequency and EM-DAT data for weather events in Uganda (2006), Zimbabwe (2010), and Mozambique (2011).
• Employed logistic regression to analyze the relationship between severe weather and reported IPV.
• Grounded the analysis in a conceptual framework detailing mechanisms linking weather and violence.

Main Results:

• Regions with severe weather showed a 25% higher odds of IPV in Uganda (OR = 1.25).
• Zimbabwe experienced a 38% increase in IPV odds in severe weather regions (OR = 1.38).
• Mozambique saw a 91% greater odds of IPV in areas affected by severe weather (OR = 1.91).

Conclusions:

• Extreme weather events are linked to increased vulnerability to intimate partner violence.
• Climate justice and efforts to combat intimate partner violence should be integrated.
• Findings highlight the need for climate adaptation strategies that consider gender-based violence prevention.