Gendering Climate Change and Human Rights in Africa : The Case of Coastal Communities in Lagos State, Nigeria - Research

Climate change is a major trigger of human security concerns in Africa. Given the weak infrastructural buffers that can help adapt the reality of the menace, coastal communities around the continent continue to be areas of major concern. This paper looks at the impact of climate change on human rights in coastal communities in Lagos State, Nigeria. It adopts the qualitative method of data gathering and analysis to elicit the true situation of human security challenges in those communities. Makoko and Ilaje in Lagos Mainland and Shomolu Local Government Areas respectively were chosen as study location. The theoretical framework for the paper is the feminist political ecology. The theory asserts the place of the woman in environmental issues. It notes that climate change problems such as coastal flooding and erosion affect women and children in more devastating ways. This is because of the poor social and economic configurations of the society that relegate the women-fold to the background. The incidence of coastal flooding and erosion means that women many of who are their families' breadwinners have the means of livelihood which revolves around the coastal economy destroyed. This situation constitutes serious human rights abuse to women in these areas as they are unable to make ends meet for their already disadvantaged households. This situation runs contrary to African human rights posture which gives a pride of place to women and children in terms of social and economic positions and to hold their own in awkward times like environmental crisis. The paper suggests that government and other stakeholders empower coastal women through creative overtures to relocate to safer environments where they can pursue their livelihoods devoid of human security crisis.