More than 60 million women and girls are victims of war, according to the United Nations. This number has increased by more than 50 percent in the last decade. The organization's top officials fear these women have been forgotten in the global debate about gender equality and women's rights. The US news agency AP reported the news.
In a newly released report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the global progress made by women over the past few decades is largely being eroded by increasing armed conflict.
Guterres was evaluating a Security Council resolution adopted on October 31, 2000. One of the goals of the proposal was to ensure equal participation of women in peace talks. However, this goal, like achieving gender equality, remains elusive.
Guterres said various findings have shown that the potential for women's leadership and inclusion in achieving peace is being undermined. He opined that power and decision-making in matters of peace and security still rest with men.
As long as oppressive patriarchal structures and gender inequality hold back half of society, peace will remain elusive, he warned.
According to the report, twice as many women lost their lives in armed conflict in 2023 than a year earlier. The United Nations has confirmed a 50 percent increase in conflict-related sexual violence incidents.
Seema Bahous, the head of the United Nations organization 'UN Women', said that about 610 million women and girls who have been directly and indirectly affected by the war are worried that the world has already forgotten them.
He said it is the responsibility of world leaders to spread the message of hope to dispel their fears. But the reality is much worse. One in two women and girls in conflict-affected countries is food insecure. And 61 percent of global maternal deaths are confined to 35 conflict-prone countries. In these countries, women's participation in policy making and politics is almost at a standstill.
Bahous says women's participation in peacekeeping has not increased much over the past decade. According to a survey, women's participation in UN leadership or support is below 20 percent. And overall this rate is less than 10 percent.
