Proportion of women killed in war doubled in 2023: UN report

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) — The proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled last year compared to 2022, accounting for 40 percent of all deaths in war, according to a UN report released on Wednesday.
The latest UN annual report on women, peace, and security also showed that the cases of the conflict-related sexual violence, which were verified by the United Nations, increased by 50 percent in 2023.
The United Nations recorded at least 33,443 civilian deaths in armed conflicts in 2023, representing a 72 percent increase from a year earlier, and the proportion of women and children killed doubled and tripled, respectively.
The majority of recorded deaths, or 70 percent, occurred in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel — the deadliest conflict for civilians in 2023.
Women in war zones were also increasingly suffering from restricted access to healthcare, the report said.
According to UN data, about 500 women and girls in conflict-affected countries died from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth every day in the year. By the end of 2023, nearly 180 women gave birth daily in war-torn Gaza, most without necessities or medical care.
“Women continue to pay the price of the wars of men,” said Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women. “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.”
The report underscored that one of the key challenges for women’s rights is severe lack of funding. While global military expenditures reached a record 2.44 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, funding for organizations and movements that support women’s rights average just 0.3 percent of total aid annually.
Furthermore, investments in gender-based violence prevention and response make up less than 1 percent of all humanitarian spending.
The report pointed out in the conclusion that only through bold political action and increased funding will women’s equal and meaningful participation in peace and security become a reality, which is essential for achieving lasting peace. ■