Climate change, livelihoods, gender and violence in Rukiga, Uganda: Intersections and pathways

PLOS Glob Public Health. 2026 Jun 5;6(6):e0005393. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0005393. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

Climate change disproportionately affects poorer countries like Uganda, intensifying poverty and livelihood stress, which can escalate gender-based violence (GBV). Although the parent study was not designed to focus on GBV, GBV emerged repeatedly during interviews and focus groups; this paper presents a GBV-focused thematic analysis of those narratives. Particularly, we examine how GBV interconnects with poverty, shifting gender roles, alcoholism, environmental stress, and family planning dynamics. Between April and July 2021, we conducted an exploratory qualitative research study that comprised 28 focus group discussions (FGDs), comprising six-eight participants each, stratified by sex and age (18-25, 25-49, and mixed 50 + groups). Additionally, 40 key informant interviews (KIIs) were held in Rukiga district, Uganda. Purposive sampling was applied. Data were organised in NVivo 12 and analysed thematically. Participants perceived GBV, including intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, child abuse, and early marriage, as widespread and normalised. Two main interconnected driver clusters emerged. First, poverty, male alcohol use, and shifting gender norms contributed to household instability. As men abandoned provider roles, women assumed more responsibilities, provoking conflict and sometimes violence from disempowered male partners. Second, environmental degradation and climate-related stressors (droughts, floods, soil erosion) worsened economic hardship, tensions, and GBV. Population growth and limited land access further strained livelihoods. While family planning was generally supported, male opposition sometimes triggered conflict. Climate change impacts are gendered, with GBV pathways shaped by shifting gender roles, norms, and relations destabilised by environmental and livelihood pressures. Addressing GBV in climate-affected communities requires gender-transformative environmental and livelihood programmes. This should include strengthened social and structural resilience to challenge inequitable gender norms and power imbalances.

PMID:42247448 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pgph.0005393