Violence Against Women Increases Globally

The ongoing conflict in Tigray has seen weaponized rape emerge as a systematic strategy of terror against women, with alarming statistics revealing that over 52% of reported violence involves sexual assault, often perpetrated by multiple attackers. In the UK, the 'Killed Women Count' project highlights the grim reality of femicide, with 50 women killed by men this year alone, prompting calls for urgent action to combat rising violence against women, described as a 'national emergency'. In Aceh, the legacy of separatist conflict has led to pervasive gender-based violence, yet it remains under-addressed by the Indonesian government. Meanwhile, Turkish military operations in northern Syria have resulted in severe human rights violations against women, including murder, kidnapping, and systematic sexual violence, as part of a broader campaign against women's rights. Activists stress that these atrocities are not merely collateral damage of war but represent targeted assaults on women's freedom and autonomy. As such, there is an urgent need for coordinated efforts to tackle these escalating crises globally.