Climate change and health vulnerability: a focus on displaced women and children in Dhaka’s slums, Bangladesh

Climate change is a pressing issue regardless of geographic location or economic status, the impacts of climate change radiate to every corner of the world, among them, developing countries suffer the most due to their lack of relevant resources to support strategies or measures to be implemented. Environmental Degradation, rising sea levels, extreme weather events happen a lot and thus also cause the people’s displacement. Bangladesh, as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change due to its geographical location and population size, is at the frontline to be conducted research on “climate-induced migration”. Dhaka, as the densely populated and capital of Bangladesh, has been chosen as an example for this research. There are many types of climate disaster, considering what climate events often happen in Bangladesh, this research define climate-induced disasters are: cyclone, flood, drought, riverbank erosion, tornado, salinization (caused by rising sea levels), tidal surge, and coastal waterlogging for this research specifically. Due to climate change, a large quantity of people who live in coastal areas in Bangladesh are forced to leave their original place and many of them choose Dhaka as destination. This paper reveals the “rural to urban” displacement consequences after people moving from coastal areas to urban areas, the situation is not as what they predict before they come, instead, confronted with various challenges and barriers in the new environment, by telling the story in the urban slums to show the real and cruel reality for those who managed to migrate, have they living a better life? What are the factors behind. This research focuses on the health challenges faced by women and children, who are the two of the most vulnerable groups within slums in Dhaka, mainly use the secondary data based on documentary analysis, existing literature to analyze and get a picture of what are the impacts of climate change-induced displacement contribute on health challenges faced by residents of Dhaka’s urban slums, what specific vulnerabilities are identified for women and children in this context? How do these conditions compare with “non-climate-induced migration” in the slum. What strategies have been implemented to mitigate the impact on health issues among climate-induced migrants (specifically on women and children)? By doing this research, it highlights the importance that under climate change and rapid urbanization, it is of great significance to pay more attention on the more “vulnerable” group - “climate migrants” and separate them with other types of migration. In the end, this paper also recommends a new angle as “green reintegration” for various stakeholders to take actions collaboratively and working on the better adaptation to climate change in Bangladesh. This is the time to take action.