**10. Effect of climate-driven temporary displacement on women and children**

It is recorded that over 50 million people will be uprooted in their countries when they are affected by disasters that deteriorate living conditions [62]. Achieving the sustainable development goals will not be realized, when disprivilged persons, such as women, disabled, and LGBTQ+ continue to experience one form of violence due to climate-related stressors [63], such as flooding and consequent temporary displacement. Although sexual and global based violence (SGBV) are reported in the global North, they are worse in the global South, particularly in the rural regions. These regions have a higher propensity and impact of effect of natural disasters, which have been shown to increase the risk of domestic violence.

This violence can be linked to psychosocial tensions relating to income loss from climate change impact on agricultural sector. UNFCCC [63] further reported that one in five women who are displaced from climate-related disasters has been violated sexually. With rising temperature and heightening of other related climate stressors, vulnerable groups and persons are often impacted disproportionately. Flooding exacerbated by climate changes put women and children at higher risks as they are displaced from their comfort zones worsening the link between genderbased violence (GBV) and climate-related flooding. Although any gender can experience any form of violence, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and forced prostitution, the violence is worsened by deep-rooted sociocultural norms heightening the vulnerability of women and gender minorities, when they are not protected by laws. But these laws and policy can be gender unfriendly, particularly when they limit access to resource control of women due to scarce resources for the family. For example, early marriage and sexual exploitation are some examples of sociocultural tensions that women may go through to necessitate their survival. Also, women and children experience higher levels of vulnerability and natural weakness during flood emergencies and disasters. Findings from this study on 2020 flood disaster in Akili Ogidi provided the adverse effects on women and children. Some of the children were left in pitiable conditions without love and attention (see **Figure 13** and **14**). Women are forced to endure or go through issues that are not acceptable to them. During interview, one of the women reported that …

*… our women faced difficult situations during the flood unlike men who could easily run and escape, we could not do it. Even in the camp we had no privacy to the bathroom. We had to use behind the buildings and bushes to urinate, defecate, bath and change our clothes.*

*Climate-Driven Temporary Displacement of Women and Children in Anambra State, Nigeria… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104817*

#### **Figure 13.**

*A flooded cassava farm in the study area where the farmer's children tried to harvest some of the farm products.*

#### **Figure 14.**

*Some of the hurridedly harvested Cassava tubers by the children from the flood.*

#### **Figure 15.**

*Soil layer washed away by the flood leaving it bare and dry and the onset of the second planting season after the floods have receded to enable early harvest.*

**Figure 16.** *The large fish species caught and sold during the floods at the bank of the river Niger.*

#### **Figure 17.**

*The conditions of some of the children displaced by flood at the government provided IDP camp most of them were left without a care giver, guardian, or parents.*

Drawing from the study, limited access to basic infrastructres worsened the events that may have led to loss of human lives (**Figures 15**–**17**). Worsening family bonds and community's social ties left people lonely, anxious and mentally oppressed, and diminishing source of income, employment, and livelihoods left community members more improvised, injured, hungry, sick, dead, and infected. Worse still, a large population were displaced, homeless, and helpless in their own town.
