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Women in parliament: Slow progress towards equal representation

The global proportion of women in the world’s voting chambers inched up to 26.9 per cent on the back of elections and appointments through the year, the international organization said in its latest report on Women in Parliament.

The growth was similar to the increase in 2022, but slower than the two years prior, IPU said. In both 2021 and 2020, the increase was 0.6 per cent.

Rwanda once again led the world ranking with women accounting for 61.3 per cent of seats in the Chamber of Deputies, followed by Cuba and Nicaragua with 55.7 per cent and 53.9 per cent, respectively.

Regionally, the Americas maintained its long-held position with the highest representation of women, at 35.1 per cent.

The IPU is an international organization distinct from the United Nations. Both organizations share common goals and objectives related to empowerment and more inclusive decision making, and work towards promoting dialogue and cooperation among nations.

IPU enjoys a special status at the UN, with a standing invitation to participate as an observer in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly.

Women quitting politics

The IPU report noted that several high-profile women leaders had left the political arena in 2023, many of whom cited burnout and increasing online harassment as the main reasons for leaving.

At the beginning of the year, Jacinda Ardern stepped down as Prime Minister of New Zealand and decided not to stand again for her parliamentary seat.

A few months later, Sanna Marin, the former Prime Minister of Finland who was voted out of power in the April election, also resigned as an MP and decided to quit politics. Several prominent Dutch women MPs also stepped down.

At the same time, the report also noted that some parliaments undertook measures to increase safety measures, such as the Althingi (national parliament) of Iceland which adopted a strategy and action plan against bullying and sexual and gender-based harassment.

Gender issues in polls

The IPU report also highlighted that gender issues frequently emerged high up the list of voter priorities during election cycles last year, notably women’s reproductive rights in countries where abortion remains a contentious issue.

In the Polish elections, for instance, the issue was central after a 2020 court ruling, supported by the government at the time, whose policies and legislation severely restricted access to abortion.

The ruling was followed by massive protests across the country, led by women and young people, with the IPU report suggesting that this was one factor which led the ruling party to lose power.

On the flip side, Javier Milei, who promised a referendum to repeal more progressive laws on abortion that had been put in place in 2020, was elected President of Argentina, amid reports that he received a boost in support from male voters, especially young men.

‘Clear and convincing information’ that hostages held in Gaza subjected to sexual violence says UN Special Representative

Pramila Patten added in a press release issued along with the report, that there are also reasonable grounds to believe that such violence, which includes other “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”, may be continuing against those still being held by Hamas and other extremists in the Gaza Strip.

The report from her Office, arose from an official visit to Israel at the invitation of the Government, which included a visit to the occupied West Bank, between 29 January and 14 February.

In the context of the coordinated attack by Hamas and others of 7 October, the UN mission team found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred in multiple locations, including rape and gang rape in at least three locations in southern Israel.

The team also found a pattern of victims, mostly women, found fully or partially naked, bound and shot across multiple locations which “may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence”.

In some locations, the mission said it could not verify reported incidents of rape.

Watch Ms. Patten’s press conference announcing the team’s findings at UN Headquarters in New York, below:

Full extent may never be known

The UN team is of the view that the true extent of sexual violence committed during the 7 October attacks and their aftermath, could “take months or years to emerge and may never be fully known”, according to the press release.

The mission made up of Ms. Patten and nine experts – which was not investigative in nature – conducted 33 meetings with Israeli representatives, examining more than 5,000 photographic images and 50 hours of video footage. It conducted 34 confidential interviews including with survivors and witnesses of the 7 October attacks, released hostages, first responders and others.

The report says that Israeli authorities have faced numerous challenges in collecting evidence.

Allegations implicating Israeli security forces, settlers

The team also visited Ramallah in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to hear the views and concerns of officials and civil society representatives since 7 October, which allegedly implicate Israeli security forces and settlers.

Ms. Patten heard concerns raised over cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of Palestinians in detention, including sexual violence in the form of invasive searches, threats of rape and prolonged forced nudity.

The information gathered will complement that already gathered by other UN officials on allegations of conflict-related sexual violence inside Gaza, for potential inclusion in the Secretary-General’s annual report on the issue.

Initial recommendations

Ms. Patten’s recommendations include a call for the Israeli Government to grant full access to the UN human rights office (OHCHR) and the Human Rights Council-mandated independent Commission of Inquiry on the occupied territory, “to conduct fully-fledged independent investigations into all alleged violations”, according to the press release.

She called on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release all those being held as hostages and to ensure their protection, including from sexual violence.

Ms. Patten also called on all relevant and competent bodies to bring all perpetrators of sexual violence to justice, offering the full support of her office to bolster national efforts.

She also called for the highest standards of information integrity in reporting and handling of sexual violence cases, as the press release notes, “given the risks of inflammatory rhetoric and sensationalized headlines escalating tensions” along with media or political pressure which will only compound the trauma and stigmatization of survivors.

The Special Representative echoed the Secretary-General’s call for a humanitarian ceasefire and urged any ceasefire agreement to acknowledge the importance of recognizing sexual violence as a key issue, and to allow affected communities to be heard.

She reiterated her profound sympathy and solidarity with all civilians impacted by the “brutal violence in the region” since 7 October.

Roughly 9,000 women killed so far in Gaza war: UN Women

UN Women estimated that 9,000 women have been reportedly killed by Israeli forces since the war erupted nearly five months ago. However, the figure is likely to be higher as many more are reported dead under the rubble.

“While this war spares no one, UN Women data shows that it kills and injures women in unprecedented ways,” the agency said in a press release issued late on Friday.

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At the current rate, an average of 63 women will continue to be killed if the fighting goes on.

Roughly 37 mothers are killed every day, leaving their families devastated and their children with diminished protection.

Famine fears

This week, UN agencies warned the Security Council of looming famine in Gaza, where the entire population, 2.3 million people, will soon face acute levels of food insecurity – the highest share ever recorded.

A UN Women rapid assessment of 120 women, conducted last month, revealed that the majority, 84 per cent, said their family eats half or less than what they did before the war began.

Although mothers and adult women are tasked with sourcing food, they are the ones who eat last, less, and the least.

Mothers skipping meals

Most women indicated that at least one person in their family had to skip meals during the previous week.

“In 95 per cent of those cases, mothers are the ones going without food, skipping at least one meal to feed their children,” UN Women said.

Nearly nine in 10 women also reported that is harder to access food than men. Some are now resorting to scavenging for food under rubble or in dumpsters, or other measures.

Humanitarian ceasefire now

Meanwhile, 10 out of 12 women’s organizations in Gaza reported being partly operational, according to a UN Women report on the gender aspects of the conflict, issued in January.

“Unless there is an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, many more will die in the coming days and weeks,” the agency said.

“The killing, bombing, and destruction of essential infrastructure in Gaza must stop. Humanitarian aid must get into and across Gaza immediately.”

 

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UK urged to end ‘national threat’ of violence against women and girls

Concluding a 10-day visit to the country, Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem noted that a woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK, and one in four women there will experience some form of domestic violence in her lifetime.

Entrenched patriarchy at almost every level of society, combined with a rise in misogyny that permeates the physical and online world, is denying thousands of women and girls across the UK the right to live in safety, free from fear and violence,” she said in a statement summarizing her preliminary findings and observations.

Leadership and inspiration 

Ms. Alsalem acknowledged the robust legal framework for promoting gender equality, including the Equality Act 2010 and other legislation that applies across the UK, noting that this framework is complemented by important legislation and policies in the devolved regions, referring to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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She said the UK has been a leader in strengthening its legal framework to address current and emerging forms of violence against women and girls, including coercive control, digitally facilitated violence and stalking, as well as improving access to justice.

“Many countries will look to the UK for inspiration, as well as examples of innovation and good practice on how to make life safer for women and girls, and accountability for crimes committed against them,” she added.

Translate policy into action 

However, the Special Rapporteur noted that a number of realities undermine the UK’s ability to realise the full potential of its legislation and policies on violence against women.

They include the dilution of the link between these policies and the UK’s international human rights obligations; a general critical discourse and positioning on human rights, particularly in relation to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees; and the fragmentation of policies on male violence against women and girls across devolved and non-devolved areas.

The UK can do more to translate its political recognition of the scale of violence against women and girls into action,” she said, before offering several recommendations, such as bringing together all legislative and programmatic strands of intervention on the issue, upgrading and formalising responsibility for discrimination and violence against women and girls in government, and anchoring it in human rights commitments. 

Grassroots groups struggling 

Ms. Alsalem expressed concern about how grassroots organisations and specialised frontline service providers working with women and girls are struggling to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, both foreign and national, who fall through the cracks and are not covered by statutory service providers. 

These groups “are struggling to survive in an increasingly challenging context of rising living costs, a deepening housing crisis and a critical lack of funding,” she said.

“The situation of NGOs working on gender equality and violence against women and girls has reached a crisis point and is simply untenable,” she added, urging the UK authorities to restore predictable and adequate funding to frontline organisations. 

Ms. Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. 

Independent experts who receive mandates from the Council are not UN staff and are not paid for their work. 

UN committed to help Somalia deliver ‘for its people’

Catriona Laing, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), briefed ambassadors on developments across eight areas, including politics, security, women’s political participation, and humanitarian affairs.

She expressed the UN’s “unwavering support towards the state-building agenda” in Somalia, underscoring that the Council’s support is central to the country’s success.

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“Through our collective support, Somalia is demonstrating that a country can emerge from prolonged conflict to one that delivers for its people and acts as a force for good in the region,” she said.

Solid progress

UNSOM works with the Federal Government of Somalia and federal member states to support national reconciliation and provide strategic and policy advice on issues such as peacebuilding and state-building, among other mandated tasks. 

An African Union (AU) force in the country, ATMIS, is in the process of drawing down. Somalia has requested a smaller AU mission, focused on protection, as well as UN logistics support to strengthen national systems and capacity.

Ms. Laing reported that the Federal Government has made solid progress in recent months in implementing its priorities. Some of these “very significant achievements” included completing a critical security roadmap, joining regional bloc the East African Community, and securing the lifting of a Security Council arms embargo. 

‘Tragic events’ 

However, 2024 got off to a challenging start for the “UN family” in Somalia, which continues to work to secure the safe return of personnel aboard a UN helicopter that was reportedly seized by Al-Shabaab militants on 10 January.   

The following day, a member of a UN Guard Force Unit was killed in an Al-Shabaab indirect fire attack on the UN compound in the capital, Mogadishu. 

“Despite these tragic events, our focus remains on supporting Somalia with its rightly ambitious agenda over the year ahead,” she assured the Council. 

Maintain momentum, reach consensus 

On the political front, Ms. Laing reported that a proposed new electoral model in Somalia continues to be intensely debated. Broad public support for the transition to one-person, one-vote elections has also come with the realization that proposed timelines are too ambitious.   

The UN is working with the authorities to develop a realistic plan that will ensure momentum towards one-person, one-vote is maintained.  The global body has also welcomed Parliament’s approval of the procedural rules for constitutional changes. 

“It is now urgent to reach an inclusive consensus on the electoral framework. And on the constitution, we encourage all parties to engage in the spirit of compromise to finalize the process,” she said. 

“Without an agreed constitution, Somalia remains vulnerable to perennial crises with no agreed rules of the game to enable resolution.” 

Controversial deal  

Turning to regional developments, Ms. Laing informed the Council about the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announced last month by Ethiopia and “Somaliland”, the breakaway region in the north. The deal reportedly grants Ethiopia a 50-year lease on 20 kilometres of coastline in exchange for certain political and economic benefits. 

Although the full details are not available, public pronouncements about the MOU have generated strong hostile reactions, she said.  Furthermore, terrorist group Al-Shabaab have been exploiting the situation as a tool for recruitment – a worrying development. 

“We recognise that the strong feelings in Somalia are putting pressure on the Government to respond, and we encourage the President to remain measured in his response,” Ms. Laing said.

“I echo the words of the Secretary-General who has recalled that the Security Council has repeatedly affirmed its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Somalia, and called for all parties to engage in peaceful and constructive dialogue and to refrain from inflammatory words or actions that could further escalate tensions.”

Combating Al-Shabaab 

Meanwhile, countering Al-Shabaab remains a top Government priority, and the authorities are now preparing to resume large-scale operations following heavy rains and flooding which hampered activity towards the end of last year.

There have been positive developments on stabilization in newly recovered areas, namely in rule of law, governance, reconciliation and the provision of basic services, and she urged partners to support UN programmes deployed in these locations. 

The handover of security responsibilities to the authorities in December was also an important symbolic milestone for Somalia, and the second phase of the ATMIS drawdown was successfully completed by the end of January, despite delays. 

As planning is now underway for a new AU-led mission, Ms. Laing said plans for drawdown may need to be revised to allow for a smooth transition and to prevent a security vacuum from emerging.

Honour the quota 

Women’s political participation and representation remains another serious challenge and the UN continues to support efforts to achieve a 30 per cent quota among parliamentarians.

Ms. Laing has met with women leaders who stressed that the 30 per cent minimum must be enshrined in the constitution currently under review. They also expressed strong support for one-person, one-vote, and voiced strong opposition for the MOU, warning that it has the potential to spark conflict that would disproportionately affect women and girls.

She told the Council that Somalia’s humanitarian crisis remains dire.  Last year saw the worst drought in decades, followed by heavy rains and extensive flooding that affected more than 2.4 million people. 

A $1.6 billion humanitarian plan for this year aims to support 5.2 million most vulnerable people. Although this represents a nearly 40 per cent reduction from 2023, it is in line with a new, more targeted approach, given dwindling humanitarian funding globally. 

 

Drastic erosion of women’s rights in Afghanistan continues

Police enforcement has increased harassment in public spaces and further limited women’s ability to leave their homes, according to testimony from 745 Afghan women participating in the latest survey by UN Women, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

The insights follow recent reports of the arbitrary and severe enforcement of the hijab decree, particularly in Kabul, the agencies said – which began publishing quarterly consultations with diverse Afghan women a year after the Taliban took power in August 2021.

Since then, the de facto authorities have introduced more than 50 decrees that directly curtail the rights and dignity of women, Friday’s report states.

Consultations took place between 27 January and 8 February, with UN Women, IOM and UNAMA gathering views online and in-person – where it was safe to do so – and via group sessions and individual telesurveys. The agencies were able to reach women across all of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.

Participants were asked to give views on the period from October to December 2023.

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Fears mount

The results show that women fear arrest and the long-lasting stigma and shame associated with being taken into police custody, the report stated.

In addition, over half of women – 57 per cent – felt unsafe leaving the house without a mahram, a male guardian. Risks to their security and their anxiety levels increased whenever a new decree was announced specifically targeting them.

Only one per cent of women indicated that they had “good” or “full” influence on decision making at the community level, a major decrease from 17 per cent in January 2023.

Lack of agency

A lack of any safe public space for women to gather and share views and experiences, build communities and engage on issues they considered important left them “without a pathway to participate in or influence decision making”, the report said.

Women’s self-reported “good” or “full” influence over household decisions has drastically decreased from 90 per cent in January 2023 to just 32 per cent this January.

They continued to link their lack of rights, educational prospects and jobs, to declining influence at home, the report found.

Gender roles and subordination

The women also outlined the intergenerational and gendered impact of the de facto authorities’ restrictions and the accompanying conservative shifts in social attitudes towards children.

Some respondents said boys appeared to be internalizing the social and political subordination of their mothers and sisters, reinforcing a belief that they should remain in the home in a position of servitude. 

Meanwhile, girls’ perceptions of their prospects were changing their values and understanding of their future and potential, the findings showed.

Afghan women told a UN survey that risks to their security increased whenever the de facto authorities adopted new decrees targeting them.
© WFP/Mohammad Hasib Hazinyar

Afghan women told a UN survey that risks to their security increased whenever the de facto authorities adopted new decrees targeting them.

International action

Thirty-two per cent of respondents stated that international recognition of the de facto authorities should happen only after reversing all restrictions, while 25 per cent of them said it should follow the reversal of some specific bans and 28 per cent said that recognition should not happen at all, under any circumstances.

In July 2023, a similar question found that 96 per cent of women maintained that recognition should only occur after improvements in women’s rights or that it should not occur at all.

Best way forward

Some respondents expressed deep disappointment with some UN Member States who in their efforts to engage the Taliban, were overlooking the severity of what is an unprecedented women’s rights crisis and the associated violations of international law, based on treaties ratified by previous Afghan governments.

Some respondents argued that one way for the international community to improve their situation would be to link international aid to better conditions for women and to provide opportunities for women to talk directly with the Taliban.

Gender bias in science ‘deprives our world of great talent’: Guterres

“Sadly, women and girls continue to face systemic barriers and biases that prevent them from pursuing careers in science,” he noted in a message for the day.

Today, women make up only a third of the global scientific community and, compared to men, they get less funding, are underrepresented in publications and hold fewer senior positions in major universities.

In some places, women and girls have limited or no access to education. Mr. Guterres described this situation as not only harmful to the societies concerned, but also a terrible violation of human rights. 

The Secretary-General believes that it is essential that women and girls participate equally in scientific discoveries and innovations, whether in the field of climate change, health or artificial intelligence”. “This is the only way to ensure that science benefits everyone,” he said.

“Addressing gender inequalities requires overcoming gender stereotypes and promoting role models that encourage girls to pursue scientific careers, developing programmes that encourage the advancement of women in science, and creating work environments that nurture women’s talents. especially those of women from minority groups,” he added.

“Women and girls belong in science. It is time to recognize that inclusion fosters innovation, and let every woman and girl fulfil her true potential,” the UN chief concluded.

Closing the gap

The theme chosen for this year’s International Day by UNESCO and UN Women, the two UN agencies leading on the celebrations, is “Closing the gender gap in science”. UNESCO’s Call for Action provides recommendations aimed at tackling the root causes of gender-based inequalities in science.

SDG 5: EMPOWER ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS

SDG Goal 5: Gender Equality.
United Nations

SDG Goal 5: Gender Equality.

  • End all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls
  • Eliminate such harmful practices as early and forced marriages and female genital mutilation
  • Adapt and strengthen legislation to promote gender equality and empower women and girls
  • Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political, economic and public life
  • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care

Globally, almost half of all married women currently lack decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Guterres: End ‘abhorrent practice’ of female genital mutilation

“Even one mutilation is one too many,” António Guterres said in his message to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), observed annually on 6 February.

The UN estimates that globally, more than 200 million women and girls have been subjected to some form of FGM, which involves the removal of or injury to female genitalia for non-medical reasons.

Challenge patriarchal norms 

The Secretary-General stressed the need for urgent investments to achieve elimination by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He called for decisive action to tackle the social, economic and political norms that perpetuate discrimination against women and girls, limit their participation and leadership, and restrict their access to education and employment.

“That starts with challenging the patriarchal power structures and attitudes at the root of this abhorrent practice,” he said.

Support for survivors

The UN chief urged countries to redouble efforts and investments to uphold the rights of women and girls and put a decisive end to FGM once and for all.

“And we need to amplify the voices of survivors and support their efforts to reclaim their lives, based on their bodily autonomy,” he added.

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Breaking the cycle in Yemen

The UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, is helping communities to break the cycle surrounding FGM. A young woman from a remote village in Hadramout, Yemen, called Safia (not her real name) is among those fighting back.

Safia got married at 21 and fell pregnant a year later. Like mothers-to-be the world over, she received a lot of advice – whether solicited or not. Mere months before she gave birth, her mother-in-law began talking about FGM.

“My mother-in-law insisted it would allow my child to lead a moral life,” Safia told UNFPA.

A mother’s monumental loss 

Safia gave birth and three days later, her mother-in-law visited with tools to perform FGM on the baby. Unfortunately, her daughter did not survive. 

“Her death not only killed my joy of being a mother, but killed me a thousand times over,” Safia said.

In Yemen, nearly 20 per cent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 were FGM survivors in 2013, UNFPA said. Most were cut within their first week of life. Hadramout governorate alone had a prevalence rate of 80 per cent that year. 

Pressure to conform 

Many factors continue to drive the practice, the UN agency said, including the pressure to conform to deeply embedded cultural norms, a fear of ostracism for not doing so, and limited awareness of its harms.

In Hadramout, many people believe the procedure is required by religion, despite profuse evidence to the contrary. Often women who have been subject to FGM support continuing the tradition.

Safia is also an FGM survivor herself, but she had had enough. When she again fell pregnant with a girl, she decided to act.

“I blamed myself for not doing anything to save my daughter and began to question why she was killed in this brutal way for being a girl,” she said.

Awareness that saves lives 

This time, Safia turned to her neighbours as they had avoided having their baby daughter subjected to FGM. 

She learned from the woman that both her husband and in-laws had been convinced to abandon the practice after visiting a UNFPA-supported youth-friendly service centre. Safia’s husband urged his mother to accompany them there.

UNFPA offers counselling and support to abandon female genital mutilation in Yemen.
© UNFPA Yemen

UNFPA offers counselling and support to abandon female genital mutilation in Yemen.

“The three of us listened for over three hours about the physical, mental and social consequences of female genital mutilation,” she said. “We became aware of how harmful it is and were fully convinced that it should not be practised.”

Since 2008, UNFPA together with the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, have spearheaded the largest global programme to accelerate FGM elimination, and a recent campaign in Hadramout reached more than 400 people over eight days.

“I saved the life of my second daughter,” Safia said. “With this awareness, I believe I can help spare the lives of many innocent girls.”  

UN representative on sexual violence in conflict to visit Israel and West Bank

Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, will also visit the occupied West Bank, where she will meet with the Palestinian Authority, civil society organizations, recently released detainees and other relevant actors.

The visit is set to start on Monday and will conclude in early February. 

Giving voice to survivors

“The mission of the Special Representative aims to give voice to survivors, witnesses, recently released hostages and those affected, to identify avenues for support, including justice and accountability, and to gather, analyze and verify information to inform reporting to the Security Council in the exercise of her mandate,” her office said in a statement on Thursday.

It is “neither intended nor mandated to be investigative in nature, a mandate which is vested in other entities of the United Nations system, which have expressed their willingness and availability to investigate.”

The mission will include a technical component to gather, analyze and verify relevant information regarding allegations of conflict related sexual violence.

In this regard, Ms. Patten will be accompanied by technical experts with expertise in safe and ethical interviewing of victims and witnesses of sexual violence, on the interpretation of medical and forensic information and on the analysis of open source and digital information.

“The scope and parameters of the visit have been discussed with the relevant authorities with an understanding reached that such a visit is contingent on the ability to operate impartially and independently, which includes unimpeded and confidential access to relevant interlocutors and information,” the statement said. 

Two mothers killed each hour in Gaza conflict: UN Women

The report examines the gendered impact of the conflict, which has left more than 23,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gazan health authorities, about 16,000 of whom are women or children.

Failure and trauma 

“We have seen evidenced once more that women and children are the first victims of conflict and that our duty to seek peace is a duty to them. We are failing them,” UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said in a statement issued alongside the report.

“That failure, and the generational trauma inflicted on the Palestinian people over these 100 days and counting, will haunt all of us for generations to come,” she warned.

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UN Women also reiterated deep concern over the accounts of unconscionable sexual violence and other gender-based violence during the Hamas-led attacks against Israel on 7 October that sparked the conflict.

The agency called for accountability, justice and support for all those affected and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

‘Impossible decisions’ 

UN Women said the Gaza conflict “is fundamentally a protection crisis for women” at a time when nowhere in the enclave is safe. 

Of the 1.9 million people now displaced, close to a million are women and girls, and the “impossible decisions” they have to make regarding whether to evacuate – when and how as well as where to go – “are entrenched with gender differentiated fears and experiences”, given risks of attacks and harassment while on the move.

UN Women further estimated that at least 3,000 women may have become widows and heads of households, and at least 10,000 children may now be fatherless. As a result, more women fear families will resort to desperate coping mechanisms such as early marriage.

Meanwhile, women’s rights organizations continue to operate amidst the crisis. In November, UN Women conducted a rapid survey of 12 women-led organizations and one youth-led group which found that most – 83 per cent – were at least partially operating, focused mainly on the emergency response.

However, less than one per cent of funding under the 2023 Flash Appeal for Gaza has directly gone to women’s groups.

Staying the course 

The report is part of UN Women’s six-month response plan for Gaza, which includes providing emergency food assistance to over 14,000 female-headed households and supporting the distribution of items requested by women on the ground such as clothing, sanitary products and baby formula.

The agency is also partnering with women-led organizations to deliver gender responsive services for gender-based violence, establishing women-led protection and response committees in shelters and convening regular consultations with women’s organizations to discuss the challenges they face. 

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