By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - The UN refugee agency on Friday sounded the alarm over a "devastating spike" in the risk of gender-based violence for women and girls forced to flee as more than 60 million forcibly displaced or stateless women and girls face high risks of such violence worldwide.
Citing UN data, UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a briefing in Geneva that reports of conflict-related sexual violence jumped 50% last year from the previous year.
Women and girls accounted for 95% of verified cases, she added.
"These numbers represent a small fraction of the reality, as many cases of these abominable violations and violence affecting women and girls' health, dignity, security, and autonomy go unreported," she said.
"Our colleagues working in situations of conflict around the world continue to hear from female survivors about the horrors they have faced, from brutal violence, torture, sexual exploitation, sexual violence – including as a weapon of war – to the denial of fundamental human rights, including self-agency and autonomy," she explained.
She stressed that the need for preventing gender-based violence and response services for women and girls affected by forced displacement and conflict "far exceeds available funding."
"UNHCR fears that without adequate funding, millions of forcibly displaced women and girls may not be able to access critical services next year," she warned.