by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – WOMEN are bearing the brunt as the world experiences the highest number of active conflicts since 1946.
The United Nations (UN) laments this is creating unprecedented risks and suffering for women and girls.
The just-released 2025 UN Secretary-General’s report on Women, Peace and Security warns that 676 million women now live within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict.
This is the highest level since the 1990s.
Civilian casualties among women and children quadrupled compared to the previous two-year period, and conflict-related sexual violence increased by 87 per cent in two years.
Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director, said women and girls were being killed in record numbers, shut out of peace tables and left unprotected as wars multiply.
“Women do not need more promises, they need power, protection, and equal participation,” Bahous said.
UN Women said despite overwhelming evidence that women’s participation makes peace more durable, women remain largely excluded from decision-making.
While an increasing number of countries have developed national action plans to implement resolution 1325, this has not always resulted in tangible change for women.
In 2024, nine out of 10 peace processes had no women negotiators, with women making up just 7 percent of negotiators and 14 percent of mediators globally.
The report also exposes a dangerous imbalance: while global military spending surpassed US$2,7 trillion in 2024, women’s organizations in conflict zones received 0,4 percent of aid.
“UN Women is calling for concrete, measurable results: conflicts resolved through inclusive political solutions, more women leading security reforms and recovery efforts, and greater accountability for violations, including access to justice and reparations for survivors,” Bahous concluded.
– CAJ News