Reacción a "Reactions to a quantitative study of murders of women environmentalists around the world "

The study is a simple yet powerful analysis of the further inequity women face as environmental defenders. Gender also intersects with Indigenousness, to further marginalise women in environmental conflicts. The snapshot presented by the author – using only a few years of data – is the tip of the iceberg. 

We know that women are systematically excluded from decision-making, ownership, and control of natural resources across the board in most countries, cultures, and industries – women are thus disproportionately disadvantaged, with regard to being excluded from the benefits from extractive industries, and disproportionately impacted by violence. 

In many places women bear responsibility for providing food and water for their families, often relying on local natural resources either directly, or as a source of income, and so they are more vulnerable when these resources become unavailable, and more at risk from conflict. 

The fact that such high rates of violence against women are taking place even in countries that are considered to have governance accountability and gender equality shows the urgent need for a high-profile, high priority global, and globally accountable, convention on gender rights. 

Lack of consideration and reporting of women’s deaths, displacement, reflects global attitudes towards women as less important, less valuable, simply less…than men. This needs to change.