With 170 armed conflicts counted in 2023, the world is undeniably caught in a dramatic cycle of instability and violence. Over the past year, the United Nations (UN) has recorded at least 33,443 civilian deaths. Although the consequences of armed conflict affect communities as a whole, more than 13,377 of them, or four out of ten civilians killed in conflicts, were women, and three out of ten were children.
Twenty-three years earlier, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was adopted, calling on all conflict stakeholders to guarantee the safety of women and fully involve them in peace processes. However, a annual report published by the organization on Tuesday October 22 paints a grim picture of the increasingly violent consequences of war on women and girls around the world. The Guardian highlights this most worrying report.
“As long as oppressive patriarchal social structures and gender prejudices hamper half of our societies, peace will remain unattainable”writes UN Secretary General António Guterres. In fact, political and military power as well as decision-making in conflicts remain dominated by men. This is despite evidence showing that peace agreements are more effective when women are involved.
On the ground, the situation of women and girls is catastrophic. In a context of armed conflict, the parties involved almost systematically practice rape on them (which sometimes leads to pregnancy), but also murder or even forced sterilization. According to the report, cases of conflict-related sexual violence even increased by 50% in 2023 compared to 2022.
In Sudan, where widespread sexual violence has been reported, the UN reported that most victims were unable to access medical care within seventy-two hours of the rape, including birth control. emergency. In some cases, rape victims have been denied an abortion because it was allegedly performed “outside the legal time limit”.
“Women continue to pay the price of men’s wars”
If these alarming figures date from 2023, the situation does not seem to be improving in any way. In May 2024, in Gaza, more than 390 bodies were discovered in Nasser and Al-Shifa hospitals, including women and children showing signs of torture and summary executions, and potential cases of people buried alive. After UN experts.
The organization denounces a “blatant disregard” international laws designed to protect women and girls in times of war. “They continue to pay the price of men’s wars,” says Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women. In reality, “this is happening in the context of a larger war against women, she explains. The deliberate targeting of their rights is not unique to conflict-affected countries, but it is even more deadly in these contexts.”
While 2025 will mark the 30e birthday of action program of the Beijing Declaration – considered the most progressive plan for the advancement of women’s rights – the UN calls on governments to intensify their efforts. According to the report, only political action and increased funding will finally guarantee an equal place for women in peace and security processes. And if change doesn’t happen now, the consequences will be felt for decades.
Source: www.slate.fr
