THE PROPORTION OF women killed in conflict in 2023 was twice as high as the previous year, according to a UN report that denounced “oppressive patriarchal” structures and called out an increase in sexual violence in war zones.

In the annual “Women and Peace and Security” report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres painted a stark picture showing how “progress made over decades is vanishing before our eyes”.

According to the UN’s data, of at least 33,443 civilian deaths recorded in conflicts around the world in 2023 — 72 percent more than in 2022 — four out of 10 were women, a 100 percent increase, and three out of 10 were children.

“Amid record levels of armed conflict and violence… generational gains in women’s rights hang in the balance around the world, undercutting the transformative potential of women’s leadership and inclusion in the pursuit of peace,” the report said.

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said the trends were part “of a larger war on women.”

“Women continue to pay the price of the wars of men,” she said.

“The deliberate targeting of women’s rights is not unique to conflict-affected countries but is even more lethal in those settings.”

In 2023, more than 170 armed conflicts were recorded, with around 612 million women and girls living within 50 kilometres of these conflicts — 150 percent more than a decade ago, the report said.

The number of cases of sexual violence against women in those conflict zones increased by 50 percent, the UN’s data showed, with the number of girls affected by “grave violations” in active conflict areas increasing by 35 percent.

“Perpetrators of sexual violence still largely enjoy impunity,” the report said. “In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 123,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in 2023, a 300 percent increase in only three years.”

Women also made up a tiny fraction of those involved in peace negotiations, the UN’s data showed.

Preliminary data from 50 peace processes showed that in 2023, on average, women made up only 9.6 percent of negotiators, 13.7 percent of mediators and 26.6 percent of signatories to peace agreements and ceasefire agreements.

The proportion of women signatories dropped to 1.5 percent if agreements in Colombia were excluded.

“Power and decision-making on peace and security matters remain overwhelmingly dominated by men, and progress has been disturbingly slow in terms of ending impunity for those who perpetrate atrocities against women and girls,” the report said.

© AFP 2024