Unpacking the Intersection of Domestic Violence, Climate Change, and Intergenerational Trauma: A Call to Action for Southern Africa and Beyond
Lawrence Ngorora
Leadership and Self Development SELF-AWARENESS SELF-DISCOVERY SELF-LEADERSHIP
Introduction:
The effects of the El Nino induced droughts in southern Africa have left an indelible mark on society. It would be fool-hardy to not notice the intensity of suffering and continued scarcity of resources such as water and the food insecurity situation. Probably, the most debilitating is that of waiting for when the natural resources(water especially) can be replinished from unpredictable rains. Yet, the El Nino induced phenomenon of drought as an extension of climate change impacts, brings with it household dynamics in view of tensions that arise, resulting in power dynamics including fighting for influence over scarce or dwindling resources leading in cases to domestic violence and gender based violence. The complexities are further exacerbated by hidden patterns underlying resultant mental health issues and other comorbidities. To this end, the influence of intergenerational trauma?is in tandem with climate trauma and this cannot be ignored behind the discourseof climate change as a topic of science. Climate trauma, while providing the missing narrative explaining our dissociated unresponsiveness to the climate crisis(as per google), it is said to also suggest an alternative approach to effecting the kind of fundamental societal change needed to remedy our collective dissociation from our feelings that we bury when disaster strikes. Further influencefrom climate change includes the impact on soil degradation resulting in soil trauma as humanity continues to drain or take out of the soil without nurturing it back into its original productive state but rather find solace in using chemicals to gain income from agricultural activities. Underlying these issues as well might just be the historical woundedness compounding the personal experience of the experienced life challenges such as hunger or helplessness. It is worth bringing these issues into perspective.
As one navigates the complexities of climate change, domestic violence, climate and intergenerational trauma, it's essential to examine the intersections and implications for human well-being. This analysis explores the role of human emotional intelligence and metaphysical/spiritual significance in understanding and addressing these issues, with a focus on Southern Africa and the El Ni?o-induced drought.
Domestic Violence and Climate Change:
Research suggests a disturbing correlation between climate-related stressors and increased domestic violence. It is understood that climate-related stressors, such as droughts and floods, exacerbate existing social and economic tensions, leading to increased domestic violence hence women and children are disproportionately affected due to existing gender inequalities. Unfortunately, one may find it rather absurd that men are not mentioned as recipients of domestic violence leaving an inference that perhaps that they are the perpetrators mainly. However, if by inference one considers that the man was once a child (women and children),then inherently women on men violence should be taken into account in these definitions. It therefore implies that climate migration and displacement which can increase vulnerability to domestic violence would not be gender sensitive but affect both men and women, perhaps not equally , however, it may be a fact that women have developed masculine qualities as a coping mechanism to deal with the effects of patriarchy, hence can bring on violence on their children and male counterparts.
If one wonders what climate change is disrupting in terms of human systems, it may be worth considering what domestic violence is? disrupting in view of human systems’ relationships. Domestic violence profoundly affects individuals' spiritual well-being, violating their sacred right to safety and dignity. Domestic violence spoils the sacred bond between partners, family members, or caregivers as it disrupts the harmony and love that underlie healthy relationships while causing disconnection from self, others, and the divine. Mostly, survivors may feel disconnected from their inner selves, losing autonomy and self-worth while abusers may experience spiritual disconnection, losing empathy and compassion. In view of the distortion of power and control, domestic violence distorts the natural balance of power, exploiting vulnerability as it undermines the sacred principles of mutual respect, trust, and equality between loved ones. The resultant trauma from domestic violence can wound an individual's spirit, eroding their sense of purpose or may lead to feelings of shame, guilt, and disconnection from spiritual practices.
?Is Climate Change an agent for useful change?
The 2015-2016 and the current 2023-2024 El Ni?o-induced drought in Southern Africa increasingly shows by lived experiential evidence that it has and continues to exacerbate existing social and economic vulnerabilities, leading to:
- Increased food insecurity and resource competition
- Heightened stress and anxiety
- Breakdown of community support networks
In Zimbabwe, for instance, a study found that drought-related stress contributed to a 30% increase in domestic violence cases.The study analysed data from 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Zimbabwe, between 2011 and 2018, covering 83,990 partnered women aged 15-49 years. The key findings included reports that severe drought are associated with a higher risk of reporting a controlling partner (3.0% increase), physical violence (0.8% increase), and sexual violence (1.2% increase). As well, mild/moderate drought can be linked to increased physical (0.7% increase) and sexual violence (0.7% increase) while adolescent girls and unemployed women were more vulnerable to IPV during droughts, perhaps as they looked up to their partners for support. It could be beneficial if some space is given to revisit the past experiences of droughts in southern Africa.
Recurring Drought Patterns:
1. El Ni?o-induced droughts: 1992, 1997, 2004, 2015-2016, and 2018-2019 droughts were exacerbated by El Ni?o events.
2. Frequency and severity: Droughts have increased in frequency and severity over the past three decades.
3. Regional variability: Droughts tend to affect specific regions more frequently, such as Southern Africa's Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.
4. Seasonal patterns: Droughts often start during the dry season (May-September) and intensify during the hot summer months (October-February).
5. Multi-year droughts: Several droughts have lasted multiple years, e.g., 2002-2007 and 2015-2017.
Common Factors:
1. Climate variability: El Ni?o and La Ni?a events, Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and Southern Annular Mode (SAM) influence drought patterns.
2. Land degradation: Soil erosion, deforestation, and overgrazing exacerbate drought impacts.
3. Water management: Inadequate water infrastructure, inefficient use, and lack of investment in water conservation contribute to drought vulnerability.
4. Agricultural dependence: Agriculture's reliance on rainfall makes it vulnerable to drought, impacting food security and livelihoods.
5. Poverty and inequality: Droughts disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, exacerbating existing social and economic disparities.
Notable Drought Events:
1. 1992 drought: One of the most severe droughts in Southern African history, affecting 9 countries.
2. 2002-2007 drought: Prolonged drought affecting Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.
3. 2015-2016 drought: El Ni?o-induced drought affecting 19 countries in Southern Africa.
4. 2018-2019 drought: Severe drought affecting South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.
Lessons Learned:
1. Improved early warning systems: Enhanced monitoring and forecasting can reduce drought impacts.
2. Climate-resilient agriculture: Promoting drought-tolerant crops and conservation agriculture.
3. Water conservation: Investing in water infrastructure and efficient use.
4. Social protection: Implementing social safety nets to support vulnerable communities.
5. Regional cooperation: Strengthening regional collaboration to address drought-related challenges.
Integrating these insights into the climate change and domestic violence discourses can provide valuable context and inform strategies for addressing the current drought and future climate-related challenges. The trauma that is generated from such events cannot be separated or hidden away from the transgenerational hurt transferred epigenetically while being cognisant of such historic events such as wars, colonialism and slavery for instance.
Intergenerational/Nature/Human Emotion Interaction Nexus
The collective, inherited pain and trauma experienced by women and feminine-identified individuals due to patriarchal oppression, suppression, and erasure has its roots in historical and ongoing violence against women and children. This may sound like a mantra that women and children seem the only ones struggling with domestic or gender based violence, since men seem omitted in this framing of the issues. What can be viewed as important, though, is that humanity as a whole may have had disconnection from nature and feminine principles. Climate change is there to offer a nudge towards reconnection. Such human practices as internalised misogyny and self-doubt including symptoms such as self-sacrifice and people-pleasing behaviours including difficulty setting boundaries have compounded the sense of lack as in lack of self-worth and confidence. From this perspective disconnection from emotions and intuition is evident.
What may be difficult to flesh out on the same token of disconnection is the role of the energetic and psychological impact of the physical but not emotional support on individuals, communities, and society at birth. The effects of emotional neglect to children may later in life be realised as disrupted relationships and family dynamics with a touch of distorted feminine and masculine roles leading to inefficient emotional regulation and disconnection from ancestral wisdom and cultural heritage. If mother’s touch did not include emotional support then the associated father phenomenon could include the patriarchal authoritarian, controlling, and dominating presence. If taken a step further, it may be noted that the experience of the father’s emotional absence leads to the emphasis on logic and rationality over emotions, disconnection from emotions, intuition, and vulnerability whereas a wounded father phenomenon carries with it transference of of the traumatised or emotionally unavailable experience in the child. When the human experience is fraught with the struggle with emotional expression and vulnerability it may not be difficult to pass on harmful patriarchal norms. To take heed of the call to healing, one would appreciate embodying the healthy masculinity, emotionally intelligent and expression of vulnerability which may be viewed as supporting and empowering feminine principles.
Droughts, while being, viewed as non-living entities bent on destruction and causing human pain, in essence, such drought can, in fact, evoke strong emotions, affecting human well-being and hence induce a strong relationship with nature. Such emotions that become apparent but perhaps not evident may include:
1. Grief and loss: Drought-related livelihood losses and ecosystem degradation
2. Fear and anxiety: Uncertainty and vulnerability to climate-related shocks
3. Resilience and hope: Community solidarity and adaptive capacity
4. Intergenerational trauma: Historical climate-related injustices and cultural disruption
5. Nature connection: Emotional bonds with land, water, and biodiversity
Human Suffering and Emotional Connection
Drought-related emotional impacts, therefore, can be said to? include:
1. Psychological distress: Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress
2. Social isolation: Breakdown of community networks and support
3. Economic insecurity: Livelihood losses and poverty
4. Cultural disruption: Loss of traditional practices and cultural heritage
5. Ecological grief: Mourning the loss of ecosystems and biodiversity
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Intergenerational Trauma and Historical Woundedness:
Southern Africa's history of colonialism, apartheid, and displacement has left deep scars. Intergenerational trauma perpetuating cycles of violence, mistrust, and emotional numbness. Climate change re-triggers these wounds, demanding attention to historical and ongoing injustices.Collective memories of violence, displacement, and oppression are passed down through generations. It therefore implies that historical events shape individual and community identities, influencing relationships and worldviews. For instance, cycles of Violence and Mistrust which occur in intimate relationships and other interpersonal relationships reveal that unaddressed trauma perpetuates cycles of violence, as hurt and anger are redirected towards others while those children who experienced childhood neglect or who experienced chaotic attachment styles may use dominance as a coping mechanism and in the process hurt their unsuspecting victims.Mistrust and suspicion towards authorities and institutions persist as the citizenry look up to authorities to quell the discomfort from civil strife to no avail.?
As a result, the general populace, individually, may have to resort to emotional numbness as part of developing resilience when, in fact, communities develop other coping mechanisms to deal with ongoing trauma, leading to emotional numbness. Resilience is both a survival strategy and a barrier to confronting and healing from trauma where vulnerability is an alternative resource to accede to healing trauma.
Climate Change and the re-triggering of trauma is a climate-related phenomenon where stresses such as droughts and floods revive memories of historical displacements and vulnerabilities, usually made possible via mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and comorbidities such as diabetes for instance. As a result, you find communities resorting to climate migration where climate change would have replaced such forces as colonialists in effecting? forced displacement which then exacerbates existing social and economic tensions.
?It therefore implies that addressing historical and ongoing injustices is a party and parcel of the climate change discourse. Rather than maintaining a stance that climate change is a scientific issue left for the hard sciences and denialists, it is paramount to acknowledge and confront the past represented by intergenerational trauma and historical woundedness to break cycles of violence and mistrust. To make that effective, supporting community-led healing initiatives and culturally sensitive mental health services is necessary.?
Human Emotional Intelligence:
Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a critical role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and domestic violence in view of , for instance increasing self-awareness which recognizes emotional responses to climate-related stress as a part of the human experience besides the suffering from scarcity of resources and the resultant appropriation over the available ones. The idea behind mentioning some of these issues is the need for understanding and supporting the vulnerable community members and help with trauma informed conflict resolution in managing disputes related to resource scarcity in the home that may be inducing domestic and gender based violence.
One way of cultivating emotional intelligence can be to enhance resilience, foster community cohesion, and promote climate-adaptive strategies. However, as emotional intelligence may be worth mentioning, it is also imperative to consider the underlying or hidden message of the natural phenomena as if nature is talking to the human experience. From this perspective, it can be noted how there is predominant sentiment that seems to suggest that the creator has abandoned humanity and is using nature to punish them while the sentiment can also be turned on its head to communicate that nature is attempting to bring a message of interconnectedness between nature and human as a unit.
Rather than base a conversation on the gender binary sensitivities, perhaps it can best be entered into from the feminine and masculine healing perspective. In many cultures, feminine and masculine principles are present , where, the? feminine is associated with :
- Nurturing, receptivity, and interconnectedness
- Emotional expression, intuition, and empathy
- Cycles of nature (e.g., moon phases, seasons)
- Community, cooperation, and mutual support
Meanwhile, when one talk of the masculine principle, it possibly may refer to :
- Action, protection, and provision
- Logical reasoning, assertiveness, and boundaries
- Linear progress, achievement, and competition
- Individuality, autonomy, and self-reliance
How might one therefore link the discussion on droughts and trauma to how these phenomena influence humanity? Perhaps delving into the meaning of drought and floods from an emotional perspective can be useful. Droughts and floods can be seen as symbolic of:
Drought:
- Disconnection from nature and emotions
- Lack of nourishment and sustenance
- Parched relationships and community
- Feminine principle imbalance (e.g., suppressed emotions)
Floods:
- Overwhelming emotions and chaos
- Destruction of boundaries and structures
- Masculine principle imbalance (e.g., excessive action)
- Disruption of natural cycles and rhythms
What then are the links of this discussion to mental health?
Droughts and floods can exacerbate mental health issues via:
- Anxiety, depression, and trauma
- Substance abuse and addiction
- Domestic and gender-based violence
- Community displacement and social isolation
While domestic and gender-based violence has been topical in this discussion, it has been seen to imply that? climate-related stressors increase domestic violence where women and children are disproportionately affected as gender-based violence is often used as a coping mechanism in the perspective of dealing with both nature and patriarchal systems in which case both exacerbate climate-related vulnerabilities. It, therefore, suits to link these issues with a higher dimensional perspective where consideration can be made for metaphysical implications.
Metaphysical/Spiritual Significance:
The intersection of domestic violence, climate change, and intergenerational trauma holds profound spiritual and metaphysical significance that can be said to imply a message of:
- Disconnection from nature and ancestral wisdom
- Imbalance in the feminine and masculine principles
- Collective karma and ancestral healing
When these seeming insinuations are acknowledged, these dimensions can be used to reclaim indigenous knowledge and cultural practices. For that we can as a collective integrate spiritual practices into climate resilience strategies which can also foster a sense of global citizenship and responsibility
If southern Africa's El Ni?o-Induced Drought can be used as an example, then, among many of the incidents of the past including the 2015-2016 and the current 2023-2024 drought, for example, can highlight the need for climate-resilient social and economic systems.?
As professionals, policymakers, and community leaders, we must:
1. Integrate emotional intelligence and spiritual practices into climate resilience strategies.
2. Address historical woundedness and intergenerational trauma.
3. Support community-led initiatives and climate-smart agriculture.
4. Promote policy reforms addressing climate change, domestic violence, and intergenerational trauma.
Conclusion:
The intersection of domestic violence, climate change, and intergenerational trauma demands a holistic, emotionally intelligent, and spiritually informed response. The metaphysical significance of these issues can be used to cultivate resilience, promote collective healing, and create a more just and sustainable future for Southern Africa and beyond.
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