WHO: Women in Gaza, Sudan and Congo bear the heaviest cost of conflict
Geneva, 26 November (Hibya) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that women living in conflict and fragile settings face extreme risks of violence, leaving devastating impacts on their physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health.
According to the WHO statement, women in conflict zones and vulnerable environments face an excessive risk of violence, with destructive consequences for their physical, sexual, reproductive and mental well-being.
The ongoing war in Gaza has turned the region into an epicentre of female deaths in conflict situations, with two women or girls losing their lives every hour. It was also reported that displaced women and girls face violence at every stage of their journeys.
The statement highlighted that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, even before the recent escalation, three women died every hour due to pregnancy and childbirth complications, and adolescent girls accounted for one-third of all violence cases.
WHO noted that in Sudan, conflict-related sexual violence — including rape, abduction, intimate partner violence, child marriage and coerced sex for survival — is rising rapidly, leaving survivors with severe physical and psychological trauma.
WHO emphasised: “Safety is a human right—even in times of conflict. There is no excuse for violence. It must end everywhere.”
British News Agency