Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study explores the interplay between environmental stressors and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODS: Drawing on participants' interviews, visual ethnography, thematic analysis, and a review of secondary sources, the research examines how resource scarcity, displacement, and climate change intersect with social determinants of health to intensify IPV. RESULTS: Using an ecological systems perspective, the study demonstrates how structural vulnerabilities and environmental degradation disproportionately affect residents of informal urban settlements, particularly women, who face intersecting vulnerabilities due to poverty, inadequate services, and gender-based discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study underscore the need to integrate gender-sensitive urban planning and policy that address both environmental risks and existing social inequalities, thereby enhancing household and community resilience.