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氣候變遷的另一場悲劇，迫於生存而賠上人生的童婚新娘
Thanks to climate change, extreme weather events will likely ramp up dramatically in the coming years, including more devastating flooding from rising sea levels and storms with unprecedented severity. Droughts have already increased in frequency and intensity, particularly in Africa. What’s more, a growing body of evidence is showing that the pernicious effects of climate change are increasing child marriage.
由於氣候變遷，在未來幾年內極端的天氣災害會頻繁且急劇發生，包括海平面上升所帶來的毀滅性水災，以及前所未有的嚴重暴風雨。特別是在非洲，乾旱的頻率和強度已大幅增加，更有越來越多的證據表明：氣候變化帶來的影響將導致更多童婚現象。
Marrying off an underage daughter during a climate-related disaster can mean there is one less mouth to feed or parents may believe that it will protect girls from the increased risk of sexual exploitation. Studies show that droughts increase the likelihood of women and girls being forced into trading sex for food or money and that when displaced they are at a higher risk of rape. A payment of cash or goods often made to a bride's family by the groom's family can also provide a desperately needed infusion of cash during lean times.
在氣候變遷所帶來的災難發生時，將自己的未成年女兒出嫁就意味著家裡「少張嘴」，父母也相信早婚能降低女兒受到性剝削的風險。研究指出，乾旱會增加婦女或女童被迫進行性交易以換取食物或金錢的可能，而流離失所者則更容易遭受性暴力。新郎通常會向新娘家庭支付現金或商品，在貧乏時期為新娘家族迫切需要的經濟收入。
Early marriage is not the only damaging effect climate change has on poor women and girls. A study by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature found that environmental degradation can lead to an increase in sexual assault, domestic violence, and forced prostitution. In fact, women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die in natural disasters, including being more likely to be undernourished and less likely to know how to swim.
對於貧窮婦女和女孩來說，「早婚」並不是唯一氣候變遷帶來的有害影響。 國際自然保護聯盟的研究發現，環境的破壞可能導致性侵犯、家庭暴力和強迫賣淫的情況增加。實際上，婦女和兒童也因為較可能營養不良、不會游泳等原因，在自然災害中死亡的可能性高於男性14倍之多。
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that there are just more than 10 years left to stop warming over 1.5 degrees Celsius, after which the kind of droughts and flooding that lead to child marriage will increase in frequency and severity. It will also require that the wealthy countries responsible for climate change contribute to mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund to help poorer countries cope with the effects including preparation for natural disasters and increasing child marriage.
政府間氣候變化專門委員會提出警告，我們只剩10多年去阻止氣溫上升超過攝氏1.5度，之後乾旱和洪災發生的頻率將會大幅增加，童婚的現象也會更為頻繁且嚴重。同時，委員會要求對於氣候變遷該負起責任的富裕國家，必須對於綠色氣候基金會做出一定的貢獻，藉此幫助其他貧窮國家的影響，包括提早替自然災害做準備及解決童婚現象。
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參考資料：The New York Times, Reuters, ABC News, Aljazeera, The Guardian, Mexico news daily
編輯/馬婉娟、黃煒齡
收錄於英語島 2020年04月號
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