The United Nations Security Council meets Tuesday to debate the best way to improve security for women caught up in conflict. From Gaza to Yemen, women and girls are facing ever greater dangers this year simply surviving in war zones.
War is growing deadlier for women and girls, according to the United Nations Secretary-General’s annual report. Women and girls accounted for one in four of the more than 37,000 civilians killed in armed conflict last year. That figure is double the number in 2021.
At least 25 women and girls are killed every day in conflict settings. Some 750 million women and girls now live within 50 kilometers of an active conflict. That is 40 million more than in 2024 and more than at any time since 1990.
Sexual violence is surging as civilian deaths mount. Additionally, women continue to be largely shut out of peace talks.