CARACHI: It is no surprise that the world is reeling from the consequences of climate change. Last year Pakistan was the target with extreme flooding and this year other South Asian countries like India and Nepal are also suffering from rising temperatures. But with the heat wave comes another problem and that is an increase in domestic violence that is directly proportional to climate change.
In a study published by JAMA Psychiatry, it was revealed that a 1C increase in the average annual temperature was directly linked to a 6.3% increase in incidents of physical and sexual domestic violence in Pakistan, India and Nepal. The study had a focus group of 194,871 girls from the three countries, aged 15 to 49, from the years 2010 to 2018. It compared the pattern of emotional, physical and sexual abuse to temperature fluctuations. According to the study, India, which has already reported the highest rates of partner violence, recorded the largest increase in violence with an increase of one degree accompanied by an increase of 8% in physical violence and 7.3% in sexual violence. According to the research, climate change-related violence existed across all income groups, but was prevalent in low-income and rural households.
According to Michelle Bell, professor of environmental health at Yale University and co-author of the study, there are “many potential pathways, both physiological and sociological, by which higher temperature could affect the risk of violence. “. High temperatures can trap people inside and prevent them from working, resulting in high stress levels that lead to domestic abuse incidents. Indian activist Suniti Gargi explained how the equation works: “They cause enormous economic stress in families. If a man can migrate to another state to find work, it can help keep the house fires going, but when he can’t for some reason, his wife is the victim of his anger and sentiment. of uselessness.
Despite the fact that countries like Pakistan only contribute 1% of global carbon emissions, they are the worst to suffer from climate change.
