Shafaqna English- According to latest data looking at 2024, an estimated 676 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of active conflict.
It is the highest figure recorded since the end of the Cold War.
Women must be at the centre of efforts to prevent conflict and build lasting peace, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Thursday.
He warned that women and girls continue to suffer disproportionate harm in conflicts, while often being excluded from decisions affecting their security.
Addressing the International Civil Society Action Network’s 2026 Forum on Women, Peace and Security in The Hague in a video message, Türk said the world was experiencing “seismic global shocks”, with conflicts affecting millions of people.
“Women are the overwhelming majority of victims of conflict-related rape, abductions, human trafficking, and sexual slavery,” he said.
He stressed that discrimination can increase women’s exposure to harm, particularly when conflict erupts.
Sources: AlJazeera