At first glance, gender-based violence (GBV) and food security might appear unrelated. You might ask yourself, how does gender-based violence affect food security? These two issues are intricately linked, impacting one another in profound and multifaceted ways. If you consider the dynamics, food insecurity can exacerbate the risks of GBV, while GBV deepens food insecurity, creating a vicious cycle that disproportionately affects women and girls.
According to the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, paragraph 112, around the world, as many as one in every three women has been abused in some other way - most often by someone she knows, including her husband or another male family member.
In Kenya, about 34 percent of women have experienced physical violence since age 15 (KNBS, 2022). This underscores the that young girls are also vulnerable, which should not be the case. This departs from the care and protection they deserve. As you join us in 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, let us unpack how GBV is likely to affect the productivity of women in economic development and contribution to food and nutrition security.
How Food Insecurity Increases Vulnerability to GBV
Food insecurity can act as a stimulant for GBV, increasing the vulnerability of women and girls; similarly, GBV promotes and intensifies food insecurity.
When food becomes scarce, you will find many women and girls disproportionately affected by the social, cultural, and economic pressures that arise. In numerous societies, women bear the primary responsibility for ensuring the household's food supply. A lack of food can heighten economic strains, increasing dependence on male family members. This dependence can shift power dynamics in harmful ways, leaving women vulnerable to exploitation or violence.
Imagine being economically reliant on someone who perpetrates violence. The fear of losing support or essential resources can force you into silence, perpetuating abuse. Additionally, food scarcity often increases competition for limited resources. In such situations, you might witness rising tensions and conflicts, which can escalate to violence as opposed to when there is sufficient to feed on. This can be related to the saying, a hungry man is an angry man.
When you assess the coping mechanisms employed by families during food shortages can also worsen vulnerability. Practices like early marriage, child labor, or transactional sex, seen as survival strategies, place women and girls at high risk of exploitation and abuse. In my community, it is called ‘jaboya’, which is an exchange of sex for fish with the fishermen. This drives our efforts at FSPN Africa to empower women with business skills that can enable them to generate income from the fish business as well as from other crop production activities and value addition to being self-reliant.
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How can GBV in Perpetuate Food Insecurity?
Peace is a critical component in ensuring food security yet it is often overlooked. It ensures food supply is seamless and you can access food at your nearby market or food store. Now, consider the reverse: how does GBV worsen food insecurity? If you’ve experienced violence, physical injuries, or psychological trauma might limit your ability to engage in farming, household duties, or income-generating activities. This affects not just you but also your family’s food production and overall well-being.
You might also find that the mental health consequences, such as anxiety or depression make it harder to manage the stresses of food insecurity. This can hinder women’s capacity to make effective decisions about accessing and utilizing available resources. Through FSPN Africa’s interactions and active dialogues with women farmers, they open up and you can realize it is not just about providing them with production advisory but also providing knowledge to cope with social challenges.
Women may avoid participating in income-generating activities such as agricultural work, businesses and any formal or informal employment to minimize exposure to potential GBV. This fear limits their economic independence and can trap them in a cycle of poverty, as they remain economically disempowered due to the threat of violence. This not only affects the well-being of individual women but also hinders the overall development of the household and the communities.
In situations where the perpetrator controls access to food, you may find women in situations of food deprivation, leading to malnutrition and compromised health. Women who are victims of violence may be socially isolated, losing vital support networks that could otherwise help during times of food scarcity.
GBV can even force you into displacement, disrupting your access to stable food sources. Moreover, in households where it is prevalent, women are often excluded from decision-making processes, including those related to food production and distribution especially here in Africa.
This exclusion can weaken food security strategies, as women's contributions are overlooked despite then understanding vastly what needs to be grown to enhance dietary diversity. In some cases, due to land ownership, they are unlikely to enjoy deserved fruits of income from produce sales despite providing the highest labor share during production.
That said, there is still an opportunity to make our environment better where women can be productive and thrive. Working in collaborations through a multisectoral approach can ensure better solutions that are people-centered can be created. How is FSPN Africa doing it?
Breaking the Cycle
Understanding this connection is essential for addressing both GBV and food insecurity effectively. By tackling one, you begin to mitigate the effects of the other. FSPN Africa is empowering women across East Africa, ensuring equal access to resources, and fostering safe, inclusive environments that can create pathways toward breaking this harmful cycle.
Having worked in close collaboration with women for over 5 years, you can be assured they are not just participants in food systems; they are leaders and innovators. From implementing sustainable farming techniques to preserving biodiversity and enhancing food security, they bring unique knowledge, creativity, and resilience to feeding our communities.
The advisory they receive through our digital serves as a reminder to do better on their production work. In Africa, men are the custodians of land ownership and we have been engaging them in our programs, making sure they understand the role and contributions to household food security has allowed them to share some resources with women and support their growth journey.
Most of the programs are geared towards women's economic empowerment through targeted agricultural programs, including training on regenerative practices, access to markets and advocacy on land ownership rights. This is crucial for enhancing women resilience to violence and they can fully contribute to resilient food systems, sustainable development, and contributing to overall food security.
When food is sufficient and women have access to income-generating activities, there is less likelihood of GBV. There is no excuse. Women are pillars that hold working agriculture and food systems. FSPN Africa’s goal is to support over 2 million by 2027 with over 60% women in Agriculture with tools that can increase their productivity and income generation which will strengthen household food security. This is possible when you join us to engage and support the journey towards achieving this goal.
Empowering and protecting women strengthens economies, enhances inequity, and builds a future where no one is left behind. Let us reaffirm our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
For more information, contact info@fspnafrica.org