NNAnbsp;ndash;nbsp;Amid the intensified armed conflictnbsp;in Lebanon, women and girlsnbsp;arenbsp;enduring unimaginable suffering.nbsp;Theynbsp;neednbsp;urgentnbsp;shelter,nbsp;winterization items,nutritiousnbsp;food,nbsp;as well asnbsp;water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services,nbsp;to benbsp;protectednbsp;fromnbsp;gender-based violence, andnbsp;havenbsp;their rights and dignitynbsp;guaranteed.nbsp;
The latest UN Secretary-Generalrsquo;snbsp;Report on Women, Peace and Securitynbsp;reveals that thenbsp;proportion of women killed in conflicts around the world doubled last year, with women now accounting for 40 per cent of all those killed in war zones.nbsp;
In Lebanon,nbsp;the war hasnbsp;impactednbsp;civilians, bothnbsp;men andnbsp;womennbsp;alike, yetnbsp;women and girlsnbsp;disproportionately suffer from the consequences of itnbsp;due to their differentnbsp;status in societynbsp;and discriminatory social norms,nbsp;which make themnbsp;more prone to sexual and gender-based violencenbsp;and places anbsp;heavynbsp;burden on them fornbsp;unpaid care and domestic work.nbsp;This burden has grownnbsp;due to children being out of school or requiringnbsp;remotenbsp;learning,nbsp;performing domestic chores innbsp;shelters in thenbsp;absence ofnbsp;adequate WASH facilitiesnbsp;fornbsp;bathingnbsp;ornbsp;laundry,nbsp;coupled with managing thenbsp;emotionalnbsp;traumanbsp;of theirnbsp;children from the bombings.nbsp;
ldquo;Women and girls must be protected;nbsp;the services they rely on must be safeguarded;nbsp;and their leadershipnbsp;in humanitarian and peacebuildingnbsp;interventionsnbsp;must be recognized and supported,rdquo; saidnbsp;UN Womennbsp;Lebanon Representative Gielan Elmessiri.
Women alsonbsp;make upnbsp;a higher proportion ofnbsp;the ever-growing number ofnbsp;internally displaced persons (IDPs).nbsp;According to theInternational Organization for Migration (IOM)nbsp;Displacement Tracking Matrix,nbsp;as ofnbsp;24nbsp;October 2024, 52nbsp;per centnbsp;of thenbsp;833,391 IDPsnbsp;recordednbsp;in Lebanonnbsp;are women and girls. UN Women estimates that this is close to 240,000 families, more than 50,000nbsp;of whichnbsp;arenbsp;women-headed,nbsp;augmenting their pre-conflict vulnerabilities tonbsp;food insecurity,nbsp;meagre livelihoods and lownbsp;labournbsp;forcenbsp;participation.nbsp;
Insights fromnbsp;consultationsnbsp;reveal thatnbsp;certainnbsp;groups of womennbsp;ndash; such as women heads of households, widows,nbsp;women with disabilities, migrant domestic workersnbsp;and older womennbsp;ndash; face heightened risksnbsp;and neednbsp;targeted humanitarian support.nbsp;For example,nbsp;fornbsp;manynbsp;new widows, the loss of their husbands due to the ongoing armed conflict has been an incredibly painful experience that is compounded by the challenges they face in meeting their basic needs and that of their children while preserving their dignity. Theyrsquo;ve expressed fears of being evicted from their homesnbsp;(when theynbsp;cannbsp;return),nbsp;denied their inheritance or pushed into unwanted marriages.
Theirnbsp;protectionnbsp;is paramount.nbsp;As such,nbsp;UN Women is targeting thesenbsp;groups of women in its assistance,nbsp;innbsp;partnership withnbsp;over 25nbsp;local women-led and womenrsquo;s rights organizations.nbsp;Together,nbsp;UN Women and its local partners are providingnbsp;emergency cash for women at risknbsp;and deliveringnbsp;winterization items, dignity kitsnbsp;and cooked meals through community kitchensnbsp;in addition tonbsp;mental health and psychosocial support to women and their family members.nbsp;UN Women ensures accountability to thenbsp;affectednbsp;women and girlsnbsp;by maintaining two-way communication channels that enable feedback and complaint mechanisms.nbsp;UN Women isnbsp;alsonbsp;working closely with its network of 442 women peacebuilders across thenbsp;country on promoting the nexus between conflict-sensitive humanitarian relief and enhanced peacebuilding and social cohesion in collective shelters and in host communities. nbsp;
Despite facing significant challenges, such as destruction of their offices, safety risks and reduced funding,nbsp;local women-led andnbsp;womenrsquo;s rights organizations are at the forefront of the humanitarian responsenbsp;and are actively engaged in delivering life-saving aid to displaced individuals. It is essential to provide financial support to ensurenbsp;thatnbsp;they can sustain their vital humanitarian efforts and enhance the representation of women in decision-making forums.
UN Women draws attention to the urgent need for the humanitarian community to uphold the rights of women and girls affected by the ongoing humanitarian crises, and target assistance to those most at risk to meet their needs and priorities equitably. This targeting should be based on rapid gender analysis,nbsp;includingnbsp;the collection ofnbsp;sex-, age- and disability-disaggregated data to understand the evolving situation.
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