COP31: Drought is climate disaster doing most harm to girls

COP31: Drought is climate disaster doing most harm to girls 9 November 2026 At COP31, Plan International warns that drought is pushing more girls into violence, child marriage and unintended pregnancy worldwide. Tanatswa, 16, collects water from the well near her home in Zimbabwe. Photo credit: Plan International. Girls living through drought are nearly twice as likely as other girls to report rising violence, child marriage and unintended pregnancy in their communities, according to Plan International research presented today at the UN climate summit, COP31, in Antalya, Türkiye. Drought drives higher risks for girls Plan International’s State of the World’s Girls 2026 report, ‘Change Her Forecast’ surveyed 5,000 girls and young women aged 15 to 24 in Bangladesh, Kenya, Peru, Senegal and Zimbabwe, and held in-depth conversations with 139 girls and young women in the same countries. Where drought was the main climate event, 48% of girls had seen more girls and young women experiencing gender-based violence, compared with 25% of those who faced other climate events. Among girls whose most severe climate event was drought, 54% had noticed more unintended pregnancy in their communities, compared with 29% of those who faced other climate events, and 60% had seen more girls marrying before 18. Drought cuts deepest into family survival, with girls in drought-hit areas more than twice as likely to report losing access to food (75% compared with 34%) and losing income (53% compared with 24%). The research shows the gravest risks to girls build up slowly, over months and years of climate pressure and poverty. Girls warn the crisis is getting worse Girls expect worse to come, with 81.5% worried that future climate events will worsen at least one sexual and reproductive health outcome, rising to 94.8% in Zimbabwe and 90.6% in Peru. The World Meteorological Organization forecasts that El Niño, a natural warming of the Pacific Ocean that shifts weather patterns around the world,