Protesters outside the Uganda High Commission in London urging Uganda’s president not to sign a law targeting LGBT organisations . Credit:

Dinendra Haria / Alamy Stock Photo.

Gender and Sexuality Amidst the Climate Crisis In Uganda.

Discriminatory gender and social norms ensure women and sexual and gender minorities in Uganda face disproportionate impacts from climate change and have the fewest resources to cope. Both groups experience discrimination, systemic violence, restricted access and ownership of land, lower income and fewer opportunities, while minority communities also face persecution, social stigma and discriminatory laws. All of these factors drive higher vulnerability, reduced adaptation and mitigation capability, and further marginalises already marginalised people.

In eastern Uganda, particularly in the districts of Bududa and Mbale, persistent extreme weather conditions, such as frequent floods and landslides, have claimed hundreds of lives and property. In August 2022, flash flooding in Mbale district killed at least 29 people and displaced over 5,600 others. Marginalised women and gender and sexual diverse people in these areas are particularly at risk when disaster strikes.

Women and Climate Change

According to the UN, 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. Their roles as primary caregivers and providers of food and fuel make them more vulnerable when flooding and drought occur. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) notes that women are responsible for 70-80% of agricultural production, as well as nutrition and food security at the family level. Bad and extreme weather conditions - which are increasing - or periods of prolonged drought mean that Ugandan women's traditional responsibilities become increasingly uncertain and dangerous. In rural areas this means girls and women must make more frequent and longer journeys in search of food, firewood and water which may lead to less time for any educational activities and attending training, less time to complete other household and family responsibilities, and makes them vulnerable to sexual assault and domestic violence (see: United Nations Development Programme). 

Women in Uganda own less land and have less secure land rights than men despite their crucial role in agriculture and food production. Uganda has a comprehensive land policy that grants all adults equal rights to own and co-own land, however in 2011 UBOS showed that as many as 61.3% of women do not own land and are only given access to it through husbands and male family members. Most land in Uganda is effectively preserved through customary arrangements that restrict women's land ownership. This limits women's ability to adapt to or mitigate the effects of climate change, while the day-to-day impacts of climate change make them more vulnerable to a diverse range of issues including gender-based violence and relying on precarious livelihoods. Important efforts are being made to address some of these challenges. For example, Kwatanisa Women Farmers Group, an organisation founded by 10 women in 2007, works to address issues of  food preservation, reforestation and afforestation aimed at reducing the effects of climate disasters on rural women.

The LGBTQ+ Community and Climate Change

Homophobic and transphobic laws and attitudes are widespread in Uganda, and LGBTQ+ people face persecution. The 1950 Penal Code prohibits same-sex sexual activity, in 2005 a constitution amendment was signed to prevent same-sex couples from marrying, and the 2019 Sexual Offences Bill sought to further criminalise same-sex relationships. Although the President did not give assent to the Bill, the fact it passed Parliament in May 2021 shows the continued hostility towards the LGBTQ+ community by those in positions of power. Due to discrimination and exclusion from social and family  networks, sexual and gender diverse people live in constant danger of harassment and abuse. These issues are  intensified as a result of relocation, insecurity, and loss of livelihoods caused by climate-related disasters and the implications of changing seasons and weather patterns. LGBTQ+ people frequently struggle economically in the face of harsh weather patterns, due both to a lack of resources and how competition for scarce resources often benefits those with higher social standing. Climate change also negatively impacts when and how many crops can be grown in a season, which impacts LGBTQ+ people harder, as they often have less access to land or places to turn for support. When landslides and floods hit mountainous areas of east and western Uganda, LGBTQ+ people cannot access the same assistance and relief as others because they are viewed as criminals.

 

Lack of recognition of same sex couples under Ugandan law exposes such couples to the risk of not enjoying equal protection of rights in case of environmental disasters. For example, land acquisition and resettlement practices have evolved to entitle couples to have rights to compensation before their land is given away. The same rights are not extended to same sex couples. Meanwhile, assistance programmes tend to have specific ideas of ‘the family’ and gender, which sexual and gender diverse people do not match, often leading to their exclusion.

  

Despite these challenges, the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda have taken the initiative to inform, organise and act in response to climate change through training programmes and workshops. For example, in 2022 Rights 4 Her Uganda carried out a dialogue with LBQ womxn on climate change and environmental issues, and their relationship to bodily autonomy and gender-based violence. The organisation also runs environmental academies to increase knowledge and understanding of climate change within the LGBTQ+ community. Ahead of COP27 in Egypt, Rights 4 Her Uganda’s Executive Director called for greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in climate change discussions and programmes in Uganda and beyond.

How is the Government responding?

In recent  years, the Government has increased efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change: the Climate Change Department was established within the Ministry of Water and Environment to oversee and enforce climate action, and the National Climate Change Act 2021 hopes to help enable Uganda to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Government was intentional about gathering women's perspectives to inform the new Climate Change Act. Through meetings organised for women by the Ministry of Water and Environment, women's organisations such as the Uganda Women's Network were involved in reviewing and commenting on the draft law. As a result, gender issues and women's rights are mentioned in the Climate Change Act. For example, it calls for efforts on gender mainstreaming in climate change adaptation and mitigation programmes. However, the challenge is in putting law and policy into action. Vulnerable groups of people and the gendered effects of climate change are often disregarded during implementation. Additional efforts must be made to ensure that financial and technical resources are available for effective implementation and gender mainstreaming in climate change initiatives. These must acknowledge differing levels of vulnerability and ability to mitigate the impacts of climate change, while also promoting equal rights, opportunities, and treatment for all.