Dems: Climate change may lead poor women to sex work
[LOL, you can NOT make this stuff up.]
Sam Wood, PHILLY.COM
Posted: Monday, April 29, 2013, 4:16 PM
Climate change will lead poor women to opt for "sex work, transactional sex, and early marriage" warns a resolution proposed last week in Congress.
Introduced by a group of Democrats, the resolution calls on both the House and Senate to recognize how women will be disproportionately affected by global warming.
Women are "the first to feel the immediate and adverse effects of social environmental and economic stress on their families and communities," the document states, adding that 60 to 80 percent of farmers in developing countries are women.
It points to a United Nations report that estimates 3 billion more people might spiral into extreme poverty if governments don't take coordinated action.
Women, it says, will also feel the brunt of a harsher climate if it brings on increased migration, refugee crises and conflicts over food and water.
If a food crisis emerges, it says women may be drawn to sex work that would put them at risk for HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy.
The resolution - H. Con. Res. 36 introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) - calls for President Obama to include women in making decisions related to climate change and ensure that there are programs in place to help women prepare and adapt to climate change.
