Why we need more female voices while addressing humanitarian crises

More people around the world are facing humanitarian crises than ever before. An estimated 274 million people will need humanitarian aid in 2022, according to The United Nations Office for Coordination in Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). While challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, violent conflicts, forced displacement and climate change affect humanity on a widespread scale, they disproportionately impact the most vulnerable, especially women and girls. They also highlight and compound existing gender health inequalities.

Humanitarian crises over the past two years have created higher barriers for women and girls to receive necessary health care, gender-based violence has risen and educational opportunities have decreased. As a result, the world needs humanitarian action that is directly informed by women and girls and leverages the power of public-private partnerships. Such action is vital because women form the backbone of families, communities and economies worldwide.

The significant rise in the need for humanitarian aid is in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic stands alone as a crisis, it also exacerbates co-existing crises.

Some of the most severe humanitarian crises exist in Africa, the Middle East and South America:

Women and girls around the world face barriers to accessing quality health care even in the absence of a humanitarian crisis. This is especially true of those living in rural and low-income areas. The COVID-19 pandemic and other humanitarian crises greatly increase those barriers.

One barrier is the scarcity of quality health care services. According to OCHA, mothers and children are most at risk where there are diminishing health care services. The World Health Organization reports that in 2021 approximately 90% of countries had disruptions to basic health services. Specifically, the International Rescue Committee expects crises to cause over 90% of Afghanistan’s health clinics to close.

Humanitarian crises interrupt the provision and usage of sexual and reproductive health care and information leaving women and girls vulnerable, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). It has found that maternal deaths in 35 countries facing humanitarian crisis or fragile conditions represent around 61% of all maternal deaths globally. This means that maternal mortality in these countries was 1.9 times higher than the global estimate.

Gender-based violence is referred to as a “shadow pandemic” – most recently in relation to its increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. While people were confined to their homes, preventive, protective and responsive services were discontinued or more difficult to use.

This is shadow pandemic also occurs during other humanitarian crises. Specifically, an increase of gender-based violence has been noted during natural disasters and it is also used as a weapon of war.

When schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and children and young adults were sent home to isolate, education advocates were concerned about the impact on girls’ health and well-being. School provides a safe and healthy environment for many children. Education is also an important element in women’s and girls’ economic empowerment, autonomy and even long-term health.

There was also concern about how many girls would return to school after lockdowns. According to OCHA, 127 million children of primary and secondary age in crisis-impacted areas were not attending school before the pandemic caused schools to close. UNICEF estimates that boys are more likely to return to school across Eastern and Southern Africa following the worst of COVID-19 – while 11 million girls may never return to school according to UNESCO. More data needs to be collected now that most countries have reopened schools.

Humanitarian action is increasingly led and informed by the voices of women and girls. As more women and girls experience a humanitarian crisis and the equality gap widens, it is imperative that this gender-informed approach continues to grow in order to change the gender dynamic, policies, and the distribution of resources. This also helps ensure that women are protected and their leadership is supported.

Finally, including public-private partnerships in recovery efforts brings the combination of cross-sectoral knowledge, expertise and resources. The UN recognises the power of private sector engagement in humanitarian efforts. Combining gender-informed approaches with public-private partnerships brings together two powerful models to tackle the impact of humanitarian crises.

Healthy women and girls support the well-being and productivity of their families, communities and countries. This causes a ripple effect that benefits all.