Women This Week: Women and Girls Facing Severe Challenges as Israel Plans Rafah Invasion

New Report Reveals Psychological and Physical Toll of War in Gaza 

A UN Women survey released this week sheds light on the physical and psychological toll the war in Gaza is having on women and girls. The survey took place in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, which is currently home to an estimated 700,000 women and girls. Ninety-three percent of those interviewed said they felt their safety was at risk and that they were experiencing psychological impacts from the war. More than six out of ten women who are pregnant or had been pregnant since October 7 said they experienced complications while pregnant, including urinary tract infections, anemia, pre-term labor, and hypertensive disorders, and 72 percent said they faced challenges related to nursing and feeding babies. Over half of the respondents said they had urgent medical conditions, 62 percent of whom said they were unable to pay for necessary care. “Women and girls in Rafah, as in the rest of Gaza, are in a state of constant despair and fear already.... We need an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded and safe humanitarian aid distribution across all Gaza. The need for peace has never been more urgent. This is our only hope,” said Sima Bahous, the executive director of UN Women 

New Initiative to Combat Gender-Based Violence in Mozambique 

The World Bank’s International Development Association will soon implement a new initiative to address gender-based violence (GBV) in Mozambique. The Capacity Building for Improved Gender-based Violence Response Project will allocate $20 million to increase the capacity of 2,196 GBV service providers and help improve integrated digital GBV services to better collect data and manage cases. Through new platforms and awareness campaigns, the initiative aims to encourage more survivors to seek help. Data shows that 37 percent of women in Mozambique between the ages of nineteen and forty-nine have experienced physical or sexual violence, and 53 percent of women between twenty and twenty-four were married before eighteen. “Improving access to services for survivors not only addresses their immediate needs but also ensures the sustainability of our efforts,” commented Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough, the World Bank Country Director for Mozambique. 

Taliban Leader Affirms Return of Public Stoning 

The Taliban’s supreme leader has confirmed the return of public stoning for women. In an alarming message from late March, Haibatullah Akhundzada said: “You may call it a violation of women’s rights when we publicly stone or flog them for committing adultery because they conflict with your democratic principles... [But] I represent Allah, and you represent Satan.” Scholars and many religious leaders disagree with the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, saying that punishment by stoning is not mentioned in the Quran. Speaking to NPR, a former judge in Afghanistan cited this interpretation as “misogynist and baseless.” She continued, “Nevertheless, they have been implementing these punishments increasingly in the last two years...[yet] this is the worst period, not only in the history of Afghanistan,” she says, “but for all humanity.”