A recent United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report recognized the importance of supporting local initiatives and community leaders who, through shelters and teams of legal, psychological and social work experts, represent a way out of the cycle of violence.

Torrential rains and flooding caused by Cyclone Yaku and El Niño forced more than 110,000 people to flee their homes in Peru and left hundreds of thousands more in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

Women displaced by these phenomena in the South American nation are at high risk of violence and discrimination, the document acknowledges.

In Piura, Peru’s northwestern region, alone, 2,640 incidents of violence were reported between January and April 2023, about half the total number recorded in 2022.

‘Unfortunately, crisis conditions also make it difficult for survivors of violence to access the care and support they need,’ acknowledges Unfpa.

Since April this year, Unfpa supported nine shelters across northern Peru and more than 1,500 women affected by the climate crisis.

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