A report by ActionAid has found that families have been forced to marry off daughters in exchange for food.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Southern African region is suffering from an extreme drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Its impact on the 2023-24 farming season has left an estimated 56.8 million people struggling to find food.
A report by ActionAid has found that, as a consequence, families have been forced to marry off daughters in exchange for food.
“It is time to prioritise young women’s protection in the face of the devastating impacts of an ongoing El Nino-induced drought,” the charity said ahead of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government.
‘All my savings have been used to buy food’
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), this is the worst drought the Southern Africa region has seen in 100 years.
The drought began earlier this year after low rainfall resulted in crop failure.
At the SADC summit, Executive Secretary Elias Magosi stated that about 68 million people, or 17 per cent of the region's population, now require aid.
ActionAid has documented how the drought has disproportionately affected young women and girls, exacerbating existing inequalities.
‘Mitigating Protection Risks for Young Women in Southern Africa: Policy Responses to Drought-Induced Crises’, highlights how as food insecurity, economic hardship and social instability escalate, young women are facing heightened risks of violence, exploitation and marginalisation.
It also calls for the urgent need to protect and empower young women in the region.
“All my savings have been used to buy food - we sleep on empty stomachs sometimes due to lack of food. A lot of the boreholes have dried up, we must walk very long distances to find water,” said Joan, a 29-year-old woman from Zambia.
Girls in Southern Africa married off for food
The drought has hampered the economic opportunities of many farming communities, resulting in families failing to cope and adopting negative survival strategies such as pushing girls into early and forced marriages.
“The drought is significantly impacting young women and girls, who are often married off to secure food resources,” said Emily, a 19-year-old girl from Siamuluwa village in Zambia.
“In many cases, these girls are also expected to rely on their husbands for food and all basic needs which may also make them vulnerable to gender-based violence. All the efforts that we have been putting into keeping girls in school are falling down the drain,” she added.
ActionAid’s brief also details how the increased burden of unpaid care work, coupled with reduced access to essential services and support, is leaving women vulnerable to exploitation and gender-based violence.
ADVERTISEMENT“Young people cannot get drought relief, and we are not getting any help from the government. If the situation remains like this how will the young women survive?” said Nyaradzo, a 24-year-old young woman from Zimbabwe.
The brief calls for immediate action from policymakers to address migration and displacement, gender-based violence, health and nutrition and educational disruption during crises.
ActionAid called on the SADC leaders to domesticate, adhere to, monitor and report on agreed gender equality and women’s empowerment principles and provisions to guarantee the protection of young women and girls from crises such as drought.
"The prevailing situation in the region demands a comprehensive gender analysis on the impact of the drought on women and girls, which is crucial to ensure that governments’ interventions do not miss the mark,” said Joy Mabenge, the Country Director of ActionAid Zimbabwe.
ADVERTISEMENT“Additionally, authorities must prioritise the provision of flexible funding for women-led community protection initiatives.”
The SADC Summit took place on 17 August in Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare.
