A crisis of child exploitation is being exacerbated by climate disasters.

Climate change is often observed by temperature charts, sea level increases, or increased Co₂ values. But behind these graphics, there are kids, especially in places like Kenya. This is the real consequence of the world of global warming.

Destroy plants and homes during floods and droughts, spreading deeper and quieter damage. Young adolescents between the ages of 10 and 1 face sexual exploitation, gender-specific violence, school dropouts, and early pregnancy. The environment isn't the only crisis. It is deeply social and deeply human.

Recently conducted research demonstrates the urgent need to address this issue. In six different air conditioning regions in refugee settlements in Matar, Kisumu, Ishioro, Naivasha, Kirifi, and Karobeei, Kenya, the study provides an intimate and complex overview of resource uncertainty, especially the way girls are victimized.

"Climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is an urgent emergency for young people to public health," said Dr. Carmen Rosie, the leading author of the University of Toronto. Her team worked with organizations in Kenya and worked directly with youth and elders in the community to gather these findings.

Poverty and Climate Disasters

The impacts of climate change are not similar. In Kenya, droughts and heavy rains exacerbate existing poverty and create a daily battle for food, water, and safe sanitation. These uncertainties shape how young people live, learn, and survive.

Operations are higher for young people who are already at a critical stage of development. This study explains that food, water, or menstrual products are not only gone, but they are not only unrealistic, they can also change your life.

Focus groups, walking interviews, and participatory mapping have documented how researchers' youth control these challenges. The team discovered that resource shortages driven by extreme climates can lead to missing student days, missing dangerous sexual exchanges, or completely losing.

"The girls talk about the shame of not having clean clothes or menstrual needs and how they encouraged them to stay home from school and enter into exploitative relationships just to meet basic needs," said co-author Alisa Hashham. The certificate shows a disturbing trend in the climate. If basic dignity is rejected, the child opposes a dangerous decision.

Frequently Moves a Child in Dangerous Situations

Frequently, it is not just physical pain - he promotes choice. However, many children in the study talked about skipping meals. For the boys, this often meant running away from home and landing on the street. For girls, it often meant building relationships with older men in exchange for food and money.

"I have a child who left school and leaned over. They tell me: So, what should I do? "The older woman from Isiolo said. Gender-specific patterns are strong. The girls negotiate while the boys run away. Some reports have spoken about a 12-year-old girl to gets 20 shillings of food.

"Girls skip school and go to the man's house - a man old enough to be a father or grandfather," said Matar's oldest. "There are only 20 shillings ($0.15$) to buy tips. That's enough for them to keep them up to meet their hunger."

Climate change puts the safety of children at risk.

Water uncertainty was another important issue. During the drought, families had to cover long distances to collect water. In the flood, dirty drains contaminated all available sources. Girls in particular faced unique challenges. Get, clean, or fill with water.

"I can't sell myself to get water because I don't have water, so I can't take a shower," said the young girl in Matar. These were rare circumstances. Participants from each location explained how girls were attacked at Waterpoint or how they were seduced by exploitation by sellers and older boys.

"When it comes to raping a girl's child, the cases are much higher, especially during the rainy season," said the male elder in Matar. "She has to find protection and wait. If the rain stops, it can be late at night... She lures her, takes her to the shed and finds a scary group of men who rape her there." Water's uncertainty also had an indirect effect. Without washing or bathing in the uniform, the girl skips school.

Others, embarrassed or worried, avoided the entire public space. The school was unable to be physically accessed due to flooding and infrastructure damage. Together, these topics have led to academic failure and social isolation.

Sanitation Crisis

Hygiene was less safe when water was the source of risk. This research document documents broken, unsafe, or overcrowded toilet and shower systems. The girls said they were seen and filmed while they were swimming. Others were particularly afraid of being harassed near public toilets at night.

"You just take care of your business, and when you see her, the boy passes by," the girl said in the participatory workshop. "Later, this boy told you, 'Hey! I know I've seen you naked in the bathroom today. Others saved these visits to school on nights when they felt a little safe. The lack of clean and safe facilities meant that many schools had missed out during menstruation. And the lack of menstrual products made things worse.

"The girl will have the feeling that she has surpassed adulthood after her first period," said Masale Elder. "She may not have the means to buy pads, so she will look for them. This could be through a boy she knows, or an older man."

Climate change and child pregnancy

These amputation risks push young girls to give birth early in pregnancy and expose sexually transmitted diseases. The young people explained that small actions, such as accepting sweets and soda, led to pregnancy.

These issues have gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children spent more time at home outside of school and were exposed to a more exploitative environment. "There have been many things that surprised us. An 8-year-old child, let alone one aged 10, could get pregnant," said the male elder, Isiolo. "The worst was in Covid."

In some cases, families encouraged their children to abandon marriage. The girl said, "Some girls choose to marry to deal with situations such as lack of food or hunger." Others were seduced by small things like mandazi and soda. Poverty has transformed basic wishes into a major threat.

All of these problems combine

To clarify these connections, researchers have created conceptual models. It shows how climate events, such as flooding and drought inconsistencies, can lead to specific SRH damage. Passes include missing school, transaction gender, sexual violence, and ultimately early pregnancy or STY. The team grouped these threats according to type: food, water, and sanitation facilities.

Each path shows how environmental stress permeates through systems of individuals, society, and institutions. This model is supported, as are the youth and the oldest stories. Climate protection can protect children. Their unique needs, especially the needs of girls, require an urgent, tailored program.

"We need to act promptly to develop climate-trained, youthful, central, gender-specific programs," Dr. Julia Kagunda said by Elim Trust. These solutions must go beyond short-term help. Systems need to be rebuilt, including schools, clinics, toilets, and support services, with resilience and equity in mind.

Programs need to address causes such as poverty, gender equality, and lack of secure infrastructure. Menstrual hygiene interventions, school feeding programs, and access to safe water are just the beginning. The findings of this study also show that juveniles are involved in the prevention and education of violence.

Crisis Needs Emergency Care

Young people in Kenya are in a state of quiet emergency. Your needs are concrete, urgent, and overlooked. The climate crisis is already there - and it's not abstract for these kids. It's hungry, it's a shame, it's dangerous.

It's not a shame you need it. You need clean water, safe toilets, and nutritional safety and dignity. Education and protection are needed. This study reveals that these needs do not wait. Climate justice should include them.

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