03/12/2024
The warning issued by the UN refugee agency
Women on the run around the world, gender-based violence grows
Worldwide, more than 60 million women who are forced to flee or are stateless face a high risk of gender-based violence. This is stated by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. Although this violence, the agency says, remains among the most widespread human rights violations worldwide, the risks are highest for women in conflict zones or who have been forced to flee their homes.
According to United Nations data, reports of conflict-related sexual violence increased by 50 percent last year compared to the previous year, with women being 95 percent of verified cases. These numbers represent a small part of reality, as many cases of these terrible violations and violence that undermine women's health, dignity, safety and autonomy remain unreported.
In the long list of risks and abuses faced by refugees and migrants moving along the routes to the Mediterranean, UNHCR adds, sexual violence and exploitation, enslavement and human trafficking continue to be reported. According to the latest estimates, 90 percent of women moving along the Mediterranean route are survivors of violence.
Published: Tuesday 03 December 2024 - Last modify: Monday 10 February 2025
