Rising energy prices are forcing families to return to less clean fuels and technologies. As a result, women and girls are at risk from indoor air pollution, which already kills 3.2 million people (mostly women and children) every year.
Before the war in Ukraine, female-headed households were already more food insecure, with 37.5 percent of them food insecure compared to 20.5 percent of male-headed households.
Now women in the territories occupied by Russian troops are increasingly unable to perform agricultural work due to the high degree of danger and lack of resources.
In addition, the report shows that as a result of deteriorating living conditions due to conflicts, crises and humanitarian situations, there is an alarming increase in cases of gender-based violence, transactional sex for food and safety, sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and early, child and forced marriages.
“Systemic, gender-based crises require systemic, gender-based solutions,” said Seema Bacchus, Executive Director of UN Women. “This means that women and girls, including those from vulnerable groups, must be involved in all decision-making processes. This is the only way to ensure that their rights and needs are fully taken into account when developing responses to the facts presented to us.”