Millions of African girls miss school and risk sexual abuse every day to carry water
Girls' education
A young girl carries water at a camp for internally displaced people in Bangui, Central African Republic
At least 17 million women and girls in Africa collect water every day, which increases their risk of sexual abuse, disease and dropping out of school, a study published yesterday has found.
It is one of the first studies to calculate how many women听and children were responsible for water collection in Africa,听the researchers said.
Using datasets from the , the United Nations children鈥檚听agency , and the (USAID), researchers found that around three million children听and 14 million women collect water in sub-Saharan Africa.听听听
鈥淭he absolute number of adult females affected by this听practice was a shock to me,鈥 Jay Graham, lead author of the听study, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.听听听
鈥淚 knew it would be large鈥 but I didn鈥檛 realise it would听be that high,鈥 added Graham, who is professor at the Milken听Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington听University.听
The daily practice causes musculoskeletal damage, soft听tissue damage and can lead to early arthritis, Graham said.
People also have to contend with water-borne diseases like听schistosomiasis, an infection caused by parasitic worms living听in fresh water, he said.
Across all 24 countries examined, including Sierra Leone,听Malawi and Niger, more girls were tasked with water collection听than boys. Women were also the primary water collector in all听countries.
Children are pulled out of school for the daily task and听many women cannot earn an income because of the time and energy听it takes to collect water, Graham said.
A Malian girl carries a water from a water pump in Gao
Since they often need to walk long distances to find water,听women and children are also at a higher risk of sexual abuse, he听added.
In a statement issued last month, the Human Rights听Commission of Sierra Leone said drought was putting even more听pressure on children to find water.
鈥淐hildren, particularly girls, are out in the street very听late at night or as early as 4am in search of water,鈥 the听statement read.
鈥淭his heightens their vulnerability and contributes to听increase in teenage pregnancy, child labour, high rates of听school dropouts and poor school performance,鈥 it said.
Demand for water is expected to increase by 2050 as the听world鈥檚 population is forecast to grow by one-third to more than nine听billion, according to the UN.
As climate change strengthens, drought is becoming more听frequent and severe in southern Africa, and that 鈥 combined with听this year鈥檚 El Nino phenomenon 鈥 is taking a heavy toll on rural听lives and economies.
鈥淲ith climate change, it鈥檚 going to be more of an uphill听battle,鈥 said Graham. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 focused attention on it and听resources, we can improve upon the situation but I do think it鈥檚听going to become more difficult.鈥
But it also crucial to address gender inequality and to听recognise the unpaid labour that women do across the globe, he听said, which he believes is the underlying issue.
鈥淭here is a need to address cultural values and really听shifting the belief that women and men are equal too.鈥
The , the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, covers humanitarian news, women鈥檚 rights, corruption and climate change.
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