Excerpt from antiguaobserver.com
A new report on the intersection of climate change and human exploitation in Antigua and Barbuda was launched yesterday, revealing how climate-related disasters are creating dangerous vulnerabilities for local communities.
The research, conducted by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and Free the Slaves, warns that the loss of livelihoods due to climate impacts is pushing vulnerable populations toward exploitation.
Former senator Bakesha Francis James, speaking at the launch, explained the critical connection between environmental crises and human rights violations.
“Climate change is often discussed in terms of rising temperatures, extreme weather events and environmental degradation but what is sometimes less visible, yet no less urgent, are human consequences,” Francis James said. “Climate shocks and slow onset environmental changes can deepen existing inequalities, strain livelihoods and increase vulnerability to exploitation including human trafficking and forced labor. These risks are not abstract; they affect real people, real families, and real communities.”