A regional consultation meet heard that women are likely to be more affected by climate change because of the gender division of responsibilities and roles in the Pacific and other societies in the world.

This is according to Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) training co-ordinator, Zo Randriamaro, who addressed the meeting, as reported by Fiji Times Online.

According to Fiji Times Online, the regional consultation meet on "Strengthening Policy Analysis and Advocacy on Gender, Economic and Climate Justice in the Pacific" was told by Ms. Randriamaro that, "Women are responsible for lots of things and this will become more difficult to do because of climate change".

"Not only on how women will be affected by climate change but also about how the issues around climate change cannot be addressed in isolation from issues about economic justice and gender justice.

"Take for instance violence against women and economic justice. When you force a woman to go and sell things on the street at night in addition to her work in the family, that has to do with economic justice.

"It has to do with the fact that many women are denied the right to a minimum standard of living to the minimum level of income. Violence against women is economic violence. It is not only about physical violence."


According to the report, the meeting is part of DAWN's gender, economic and climate justice regional consultations and training series focused on consultation with experts, training institute with young women activists and a public forum and is being held in Suva, Fiji from September 6 to 9.