The proportion of women killed in conflicts around the world doubled last year, with women now accounting for 40% of all those killed in war zones, according to a new report by the United Nations.
The report from UN Women, which looks at the security situation for women and girls affected by war, says UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence also rose by 50% in 2023 compared with 2022.
The United Nations recorded at least 33,443 civilian deaths in armed conflicts in 2023. More than 13,377 of them, or four out of every 10 civilians killed in conflicts, were women, while three out of 10 were children.
The world is caught “in a frightening spiral of conflict, instability and violence” with 170 armed conflicts recorded in 2023, according to the report, which paints a bleak picture of the increasingly violent consequences of warfare on women and girls across the world.
“Women continue to pay the price of the wars of men,” said UN Women’s executive director, Sima Bahous. “This is happening in the context of a larger war on women. The deliberate targeting of women’s rights is not unique to conflict-affected countries but is even more lethal in those settings.”
UN Women said the “blatant disregard” of international laws designed to protect women and children during war was leading to women not being able to access healthcare in conflict zones, and that 500 women and girls in conflict-affected countries died from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth every day. By the end of last year, 180 women a day were giving birth in Gaza – most without medical care.
In Sudan, where there have been widespread reports of sexual violence, the UN agency said most victims were unable to access medical care in the first 72 hours after being raped, including emergency contraception. It said it had received reports of victims of rape being denied an abortion because it was outside the legal time limit.
Those holding military and political power remain overwhelmingly male, with women constituting less than 10% of negotiators in peace processes in 2023. UN Women said this was despite evidence that peace agreements lasted longer and were more effective when women were involved.
The report comes 24 years after the adoption of UN security council resolution 1325, which called on all parties to conflicts to ensure the safety of women and girls, and for women’s full involvement in peace processes.
“We are witnessing the weaponisation of gender equality on many fronts,” said Bahous. “If we do not stand up and demand change, the consequences will be felt for decades, and peace will remain elusive.”
