By Jemimah Chungu
Ecofeminism and other concepts of environmentalism caution the impacts of degrading the environment. The valid purpose of ecofeminism is to conserve/ preserve the environment so as to safeguard the wellbeing of the environment due to their natural body mechanisms or nature in general. This is because women are proven to be more vulnerable to environmental degradation due to their nature in the sense that women in their natural mechanism require environmental resources to strive.
For illustration; body process ovulation, menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause and hormonal changes. During these process, women need environmental goods and services such as water, food and clean air in order to endure.
In a relatable reality, women worldwide especially in Africa typically hold less monetary wealth and rely on the natural environment for instance selling agricultural food in the market. Depletion of water, soil/ landfill pollution, surface and underground water pollution and climate change would and has affected them more as they are the needed for agriculture for their monetary hold that is already less.
As affirmed, environmental degradation affecting agriculture would impact things like crop yielding and food production. Women need agriculture not just for monetary holds but also in their nature. Agriculture the source of Food due to natural body mechanisms and natural body processes; pregnant, during menstruation (pre and post), ovulation, breastfeeding, hormonal balancing and other times. Crop yielding includes cotton production which is needed for women sanitary equipment.
Less water due to high evaporation rates in hot seasons or drought occurrences would and does inconvenience them and in some instances they have to travel far and carry a heavy load just to clean their bodies and in needed times. Ozone layer depletion also affects women by causing radiation (Ultraviolet radiation). Radiation has been discovered that it affects women more than men. This is due to the hormonal make up and other body mechanisms of women.
Therefore Ecofeminism movement strives to endorse rejuvenating the quality of the environment so as to create a better lifestyle for women/ girls that has precisely proven the toil women and girls from the soar of damaging the environment.
Ecofeminism likewise, endeavors just as much to promote activism to curb actions that disregard women. Eco- feminists (Eco-feminism activists) say that the women have been diminished just like the environmental resources have been exploited. For illustration humans are perceived as masculine beings that exploit Mother Nature (natural resources) just like women exploited by men dominance in the social environment. In this instance sexual exploitation
A Call to Act Against Female Exploitation
Ecofeminism: A Call to Act Against Exploitation -The African International Magazine- January/ February 2024 edition
Water is an important natural resource of life. An old saying apothegm says “WATER IS LIFE”. Water is needed for the ability of any living organism. In fact scientists claim life begun in water. Ecofeminism has declared the importance of natural resources and water at most as an important aspect for Women well-being.
East Africa including Kenya has in the recent past been experiencing the worst drought ever this decade leading to dry ups of aquatic sources. So far in 2024, the Kenya Meteorological Depart of the Ministry of The Environment and Forest informed that Sunny and dry weather conditions prevailed over most parts of the northern parts of the country with little rainfall recorded in other parts of the country. This informs that water scarcity continue to threaten the country in 2024.
Unarguably, this is an outcome or at the least a driven outcome of ozone layer depletion- global warming- climate change. In an unfortunate turn out of this environmental degradation, tens of thousands of women and girls resort to trading sex for a few liters of water globally. African International Magazine January- February edition of 2024 focuses on the situation in Kenya, however there are many cases around the world of women trading sex for access of water. This is referred to as ‘sexortortion’ which means “water for water”.
Basic needs such as food and water have since been scarce for people in the region. While these are needs by both genders. Women have had a crucial experience considering naturally women need food and water to the aforementioned natural body mechanisms and natural body processes. They have had to move miles to access water which is still inadequate for usage.
Men in the areas of Kenya have taken advantage of their masculinity and taken take charge of the scarce water access. They entice women of different age to trade their bodies for water. In other worse case scenarios women have been vulnerable to forced sexual encounters (rape/ sexual violence) by trying to access water. In addition, there’s no law against crime to humanity.
With hope to turn this around Early this year (2024) Avaas launched a campaign to bring down this environmental- social injustice.
Avaas wrote; “Imagine being so desperate for water, you’d do anything to get it. Anything.
Experts estimate that tens of thousands of women and girls around the world – and maybe many more – face this situation every single day. And corrupt water vendors in Kenya are taking advantage in the worst possible way, forcing them into sex for just a few litres.
Children are being abused, women’s lives shattered. They have no choice. But here’s the really crazy thing: since there’s no law against this vile exploitation, it’s completely legal!
We could change that. Kenyan women’s rights groups say the government is considering a law to make this abuse illegal – and that massive show of global pressure could make all the difference.”
They’re asking the Avaaz community to help – let’s lend our voices to some of the poorest, most vulnerable people on Earth, and demand an end to sex-for-water abuse. When our call is huge, we’ll deliver our voices to Kenya’s government”.
Furthermore, towards the end last year (2023); UNESCO launched a program to end the global sexortortion injustice by 2030.
According to UNESCO “Increasing gender equality in water is crucial in light of the global commitments in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. An in-depth analysis by WWAP and a special working group, composed of experts from UN agencies and representatives of Member States’ water agencies, universities and NGOs, has shown that the realization of these international commitments is not on track: Gender inequalities in the water sector are high and persist at all levels, with serious implications for the international community’s efforts to achieve sustainable development.
In line with UNESCO’s Gender Equality Priority, WWAP is launching a wide-ranging Call for Action to “Increase Gender Equality in the Water Sector: Filling Data Gaps and Implementing Concrete Actions” to bring together a multi-stakeholder coalition of Member State institutions, UN agencies, international and regional organizations, Official Development Assistance (ODA) agencies and civil society.
We recognize the need to address gender data gaps and agree to strengthen the provision of gender-disaggregated data on water and to strive to make such data available and accessible to all for evidence-based decision making to promote gender equality in water-related areas and take positive note of the multi-party Call to Action to Accelerate Gender Equality in Water.”
Conclusion
Ecofeminism calls for equality and harmony with nature. Eco-feminism in its actuality also saves the environment from further damage as well as repairing the existing damage for instance by re-afforestation.
Considering environmental degradation affects women’s’ nature, Ecofeminism calls attention that to the fact that women are disproportionately affected by environmental issues. Ecofeminism entails environmental rebuilding so as to prevent the harm on women. It entails respect to women just as similar to respect for nature. This is based on the fact that women are mothers and nurtures of the people on the planet/ environment (eco).
With unfortunate impacts of environmental degradation, the consequences continue to toil in societies and the horror such as sexortortion in Kenya continue to be a reality. Now is the time to recount on ecofeminism and stop the exploitation of women due the inadequacy of resources that is going on due to degrading the environment.
