By Leticia Ahirirwe
Op_Ed
Gender-based violence is often discussed as a private matter, a problem that happens behind closed doors, within families or intimate relationships. But violence against women does not exist in isolation. It is shaped by the economic, social, political and environmental conditions in which women live.
As Uganda and the world prepare for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we must broaden the conversation. Ending gender-based violence requires us to look beyond individual acts of violence and examine the systems and inequalities that make women more vulnerable in the first place.
One of these systems is the climate crisis.
Climate change is not gender-neutral
Climate change affects everyone, but it does not affect everyone equally. Women, particularly those living in rural and low-income communities, often depend heavily on land, agriculture, forests, water and other natural resources for their livelihoods.
When droughts become longer, rainfall becomes unpredictable, crops fail and water sources disappear, women often carry a disproportionate burden. They are frequently responsible for finding water, preparing food, caring for children and supporting households.
These pressures can translate into increased economic insecurity and dependence, creating conditions in which women may become more vulnerable to exploitation and violence.
Research from Uganda has already demonstrated this connection. A UNDP supported study found that climate-related pressures such as crop failure, livestock losses, reduced income and food insecurity can increase tensions within households and exacerbate risks of violence against women.
This tells us something important: climate change is not only an environmental issue. It is also a gender justice issue.
When women lose land, they can lose more than a livelihood
For many Ugandan women, land is not simply property. It is food, income, security, identity and a foundation for independence.
When communities experience displacement, land acquisition or environmental degradation, women can lose access to the resources that sustain their families. Losing these resources can deepen economic dependence and weaken women’s bargaining power within households and communities.
This is particularly important when discussing fossil fuel development.
Uganda’s oil and gas development has generated significant debate around land, livelihoods and environmental protection. Recent engagement with women farmers in the Albertine region has highlighted concerns around prolonged dry spells, declining agricultural yields, loss of indigenous seeds, land acquisition and displacement associated with extractive development.
These experiences should force us to ask a difficult question:
What happens to women when development takes away the resources that make them economically independent?
And when women become economically dependent, what happens to their ability to leave abusive relationships, report violence or demand justice?
GBV is about power
At its core, gender-based violence is about power and inequality.
This is why our response cannot stop at telling survivors to speak up. We must also ask whether survivors have the economic independence, social protection, access to justice and safe spaces necessary to speak without fear.
Uganda continues to face a significant burden of violence against women. UN Women data indicates that 55.5% of ever-partnered women aged 15–59 have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence during their lifetime.
Behind every statistic is a person, a woman whose safety, dignity, health and ability to participate fully in society may have been affected.
And while Uganda has made progress in challenging harmful attitudes, violence remains deeply embedded in unequal power relations. The UN’s 2025 country analysis notes that although acceptance of intimate partner violence has declined, women’s reported experience of intimate partner violence remains high.
We therefore cannot afford to treat GBV as a series of isolated incidents.
Fossil fuels, climate vulnerability and women’s rights
The conversation around fossil fuels is often framed around energy, investment and economic growth. But we must also ask who bears the social and environmental costs of these projects.
When large-scale projects require land, communities may experience displacement, changes in livelihoods and disruption of social networks. Women can be particularly vulnerable when they have limited control over land ownership, compensation decisions and household finances.
This does not mean that every fossil fuel project directly causes GBV. Rather, it means that the social and economic disruptions associated with displacement, loss of livelihoods and environmental stress can create conditions that may increase women’s vulnerability to violence and exploitation.
That distinction matters because our advocacy must be evidence-based while still recognizing the lived realities of affected communities.
We need development that does not ask women to sacrifice their safety, livelihoods and rights in the name of economic progress.
The digital space is another frontier
The violence women face is also increasingly moving online. Women activists, journalists, politicians, climate advocates and young women are often subjected to online harassment, threats, sexualized abuse, cyberstalking and other forms of technology-facilitated violence.
For women working on controversial issues, including climate justice, land rights and fossil fuel development, online violence can become a tool for intimidation and silencing.
If women are afraid to speak because they anticipate harassment or threats, then digital spaces cannot truly be called inclusive.
Our fight against GBV must therefore include the fight for safe digital spaces.
From awareness to collective action
The 16 Days of Activism should not only be a period when we share posters and statistics. It should be a time for honest conversations about the structures that allow violence to persist.
We need communities that challenge harmful gender norms. We need institutions that take survivors seriously. We need justice systems that are accessible and survivor-centered.
We need economic policies that strengthen women’s independence. We need climate policies that recognize women’s different vulnerabilities. We need development projects that protect land rights, livelihoods and human rights.
And we need women at the table when decisions about climate, energy, land and development are being made.
Most importantly, we must stop placing the burden of ending GBV on survivors alone.
Men and boys have a critical role to play. Communities have a role. Governments have a role. Civil society has a role. Institutions have a role. And each of us has a role in challenging the attitudes and structures that normalize violence.
Climate justice must include gender justice
As we prepare for the 16 Days of Activism, let us broaden our understanding of what it means to end GBV.
A woman who loses her livelihood because of climate-related shocks needs more than awareness about violence. She needs economic security.
A woman displaced by a development project needs more than compensation. She needs meaningful participation, protection and justice.
A woman facing online harassment needs more than advice to log off. She needs safe and accountable digital spaces.
A survivor of violence needs more than sympathy. She needs safety, dignity, justice and support.
Ending GBV means addressing the inequalities that make violence possible.
The climate crisis is deepening many of these inequalities. That is why the movements for women’s rights and climate justice must not operate in separate spaces.
There can be no climate justice without gender justice. And there can be no gender justice while women continue to live with violence, displacement, economic insecurity and exclusion from decisions that shape their lives.
This 16 Days of Activism, let us move beyond breaking the silence.
Let us challenge the systems. Let us protect women’s rights. Let us demand accountability.
And let us build communities where every woman and girl can live, work, speak and lead without fear.
Breaking the silence is the first step. Collective action is how we end GBV.
