Climate change leads to increased women’s physical and psychological risks
The effects of climate change are not only visible all the time like natural calamities, disasters, weather changes. It has multiple effects on women. Global warming creates economic, social, physical and psychological barriers for women, which affect the entire society.
Climate change affects women more than men. Especially the women of the coastal, Haor regions are more affected. Women in coastal areas are suffering from complications like uterine cancer due to consumption of salt water.
A report shows that excessive salt water uses in Khulna and Satkhira, Bangladesh, districts linked to higher abortion rates, as well as an increase in uterine diseases, high blood pressure, pregnancy convulsions, unplanned abortions, and premature births among women.
Women in this region suffer from skin diseases like licorice, likely caused by using salt water in their daily activities.
Heimanti Mondal, a young volunteer of Sharub Women’s Unit, is working on the effects of climate change in coastal areas. She said, ‘about 50 percent of women have to spend most of their time in the water for livelihood on the coast. Their only source of income is fish enclosures, where salt water is high.
Spending most of the day in salt water increases their health risk. Apart from this, they cannot take care of their health due to lack of affordability. As a result, their reproductive health is at risk, mental problems are also increasing.
She stated that providing different types of technical training for women could gradually improve their financial well-being. Apart from that, due to lack of financial solvency, they are also falling behind in the field of education.
Haor region has not been spared from the effects of climate change. As the average temperature is higher than normal, the people of this region face various challenges. In particular, adolescents and women, between the ages of 12-45 years, experience deterioration in their physical and mental health.
From the time of menstruation to the menopause, various health problems arise. Such as – malnutrition, anemia, unsafe delivery, premature baby delivery, convulsions and irregular menstruation.
Sunamganj climate activist Rima Akhtar is working as a volunteer for Youth Action for Society Development. She said, ‘Due to climate change, the increase in average temperature and natural disasters disrupt crop production. This causes malnutrition among the women of Haor region.’
Often women have various reproductive health complications, including irregular menstruation, cysts in the uterus, premature menopause. Increasing the number of community health workers and providing reproductive health education.
To solve this problem, we can increase the number of health workers in communities and educate women and girls about reproductive health through training programs in schools.
Nadia Islam, a final-year MBBS student at Khulna Medical College, stated that climate change is causing rising temperatures, leading to excessive sweating and dehydration. Women and teenagers are suffering from various mental diseases such as anxiety and depression due to hormonal changes.’
Monira Rahman, Country Lead of Mental Health First Aid Bangladesh, emphasizes the strong connection between physical and mental health. When women or adolescents suffer from reproductive health problems, mental health suffers.
Woman spends days in depression and anxiety due to sudden financial disaster in family. To overcome this problem, it is necessary to train all the health workers at the community level on mental health.
Provision of primary medical care for mental health at district level or Upazila level. Raising awareness about mental and reproductive health through those working at the field level.
