Statement on Xenophobic and Gender-Based Violence in South Africa

The statement asserts that climate change will intensify hardships for African communities, leading to increased climate migration and potential xenophobic sentiment. It specifically highlights that climate-driven stress is likely to fuel intra-family conflict and gender-based violence, particularly affecting women in South Africa.

• Climate change is expected to increase food and water insecurity and destroy cities, leaving African communities with fewer survival options and forcing an increase in climate migration across borders, which may in turn fuel xenophobic sentiment.
• The document states that climate change is likely to increase intra-family conflict and contribute to gender-based violence, noting that women in South Africa are a disproportionately vulnerable group in the face of increasing future hardships.
• The author argues that African communities face collective struggles against extractive industries and infrastructure development, and that governments should not use xenophobic rhetoric to shift blame for inequality and hardship.

APA

Martens, C. (2019). Statement on Xenophobic and Gender-Based Violence in South Africa. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/statement-on-xenophobic-and-gender-based-violence-in-south-africa/

Chicago

Martens, Claire. Statement on Xenophobic and Gender-Based Violence in South Africa. Natural Justice, 2019. https://naturaljustice.org/statement-on-xenophobic-and-gender-based-violence-in-south-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Martens |first1=Claire |title=Statement on Xenophobic and Gender-Based Violence in South Africa |publisher=Natural Justice |date=7 September 2019 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/statement-on-xenophobic-and-gender-based-violence-in-south-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{martens2019statement, author = {Martens, Claire}, title = {{Statement on Xenophobic and Gender-Based Violence in South Africa}}, publisher = {Natural Justice}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/statement-on-xenophobic-and-gender-based-violence-in-south-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }