Women, girls in Gaza living 'one of the most devastating humanitarian tragedies': UN official

HAMILTON, Canada

A senior UN Women official on Wednesday described the plight of women and girls in the Gaza Strip as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, urging the international community to match their resilience with urgent support.

"The women and girls in Gaza are living one of the most devastating humanitarian tragedies and realities in the world, where survival itself ... has become a daily struggle," Sarah Hendriks, UN women director of the policy, programme and intergovernmental support division, told reporters at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.

Hendriks expressed "heartfelt solidarity with the women and girls across the Middle East" amid escalating violence, as she joined Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for the violence to stop.

Noting that UN Women has worked alongside women-led organizations amid the crisis in Gaza to address displacement, trauma and insecurity, she said, "Their needs do go beyond survival. They are demanding dignity ... justice, livelihoods and a role in rebuilding their future."

She stressed that the resilience and leadership of women in Gaza "must be matched also by the sustained humanitarian access, protection and investment from across the international community."

Pointing to the broader global pattern of deteriorating rights for women and girls, she noted that "676 million women and girls live within a 50-kilometre (12-mile) proximity to that conflict, where justice is particularly constrained and denied for women and girls."

She warned that "violations of the rights of women and girls are indeed accelerating in a growing culture of impunity," adding that the share of women and girls who become victims of conflict-related sexual violence has risen to 87% in just the past two years.

Describing the current moment as an "inflection point," Hendriks demanded a fundamental shift in priorities.

"We do know that gender equality is not a distraction from peace and security. It is indeed a precondition for it," she said.