By Merve Aydogan
HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The latest report by UN Women revealed alarming findings Wednesday about the increasing toll that war and conflict are taking on women and girls, with the proportion doubling in 2023 compared to 2022.
"The effects of war and conflict on women and girls are worsening," said the report, noting that four out of 10 conflict-related deaths are women.
It said that "UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence increased by 50%."
The report included Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, who said, "Women continue to pay the price of the wars of men."
"The deliberate targeting of women’s rights is not unique to conflict-affected countries but is even more lethal in those settings," added Bahous.
Emphasizing that health care access for women in conflict zones is also "restricted," the report said complications related to pregnancy and childbirth claim the lives of 500 women and girls every day in conflict-affected areas.
"By the end of 2023, 180 women were giving birth every day in war-torn Gaza—most without necessities or medical care," it noted, adding that the Gaza genocide has led to significant violations of reproductive health rights, with many deliveries occurring without anesthesia and lacking proper sanitation.
It stated that nearly nine in 10 women in Gaza report facing increased difficulty accessing food compared to men, with 84% stating their families are consuming significantly less food than before the war.
Underscoring the disproportionate effect the genocide in Gaza has had on women, the report said 14% of civilian deaths in the Occupied Palestinian Territory over the past 15 years were women and girls before Oct. 7.
Since then, nearly two-thirds of fatalities in Gaza have been women and children, said the report, citing the Health Ministry in Gaza.
"More than 3,000 women have become widows and new heads of households, struggling to protect their families while dealing with profound trauma and grief," it said.
The report also noted the strikingly low rate of women's involvement in peace processes, citing "less than 10% of negotiators in peace processes in 2023 were women."