Women at the frontline of climate change

or other dramatic climatic events may disrupt families, expose young women and children in particular to malnutrition and other health associated risks (Goudet et al ., 2011), and increase the exposure of women and girls to trafficking, slavery and forced work. Young women and children, including boys, are sold, coerced, kidnapped or sent away for forced agricultural and household labour. One case of such coercion, involving several young girls in a remote and inaccessible mountain village, was documented in the fieldwork undertaken in compiling this report.

that a girl is trapped in sex work equates to an additional 3-4% greater risk of HIV/AIDS infection (Silverman et al ., 2006). This further demonstrates the need to intervene in sex trafficking as early as possible. Another key problem is that because women comprise the primary work force in agriculture, young girls are taken out of school to work in agricultural fields during droughts. The phenomenon is also documented in other parts of the world including Africa (Campbell, 2009). Hence, floods, droughts

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