Conflict ‘deepens and amplifies’ gender inequality – new global survey
2 October 2024New global research involving over 10,000 children and young people from 10 countries has found that gender profoundly influences how conflict is experienced.
The study offers in-depth insight into growing up in conflict, based on a survey of 15- to 24-year-olds from countries including Colombia, Sudan and Ukraine.
The research – which also includes over 100 in-depth interviews – shows how children and young people who live through conflict are robbed of their childhood, as fear and violence become their normal.
Girls and young women face sexual violence
Girls and young women are more likely to experience sexual violence and assault in conflict settings – cited as a risk by more than one in four (27%) girls, and one in six (17%) boys.
They are also more likely to feel unsafe (39%) as a result of the relentless violence that comes with conflict compared to boys (36%).
In the interviews deeply distressing accounts were shared of rape, and other forms of sexual violence in conflict, that girls and young women had experienced or witnessed. Interviewees emphasised the need for psychosocial and mental health support, which in some countries was very limited or non-existent.
More than one in three (38%) of all children and young people reported feeling unsafe, with 46% fearing that being shot was a risk, and 30% feeling they are at risk of airstrikes.
Girls and women eat least and last
Almost half of the children and young people surveyed reported they had no, or very limited access to food (43%), with girls and young women more likely to struggle to access food and water. 44% of girls said they have no or very limited access to water, compared to 39% of boys, most likely as a result of pre-existing gender inequality.
Describing her experience of growing up in Sudan’s Darfur region, Dr. Elzahra Mohammed, Programme Lead – Primary and Sexual Reproductive Health for Plan International Sudan said:
“Every day we saw people dead or injured.”
“War is terrible, but I think for girls it is especially frightening. Even before the war, girls faced a kind of discrimination. But afterwards, the situation became very, very bad for us because young boys started to carry knives. When I became a doctor, I worked a lot with girls and young women who were abused in the war… I can understand what girls are going through.”
“It is important to acknowledge that girls are not affected the same way as boys – they need to be treated in a different way, they have different needs, both practically and emotionally.”
Girls and young women reported significantly higher levels of emotional stress indicators than boys and young men. 58% of girls and young women, compared to 49% of boys and young men, report continuous worrying and 58% of girls also say they are unable to sleep, versus 52% of boys.
Girls report feeling hopeless
Global evidence shows that it is common for girls and women to internalise their fears and anxieties and 44% of girls reported feeling hopeless, compared to 38% of boys.
In the words of Dansha, 17, from Ethiopia: “The impact of the war is harsher on young females, and we have experienced so many challenges during those moments.”
“Many girls were raped during the war. In addition, compared to boys, we spend most of our time working in the house. This means there is a lot of burden on girls. Therefore, all these challenges bring depression among many young girls and most of these young girls have some sort of mental illness.”
Everyday life is turned on its head overnight when conflict erupts, as electricity and communication become hard to access, interaction with family and friends becomes restricted and schools close or become dangerous to get to. More than half (52%) of survey respondents reported missing out on their education as a result of the conflict in their country.
The study found a staggering 17% of children surveyed had been asked to join an armed group, despite this being a grave violation of children’s rights and against International Humanitarian Law.
Boys at higher risk of being recruited by armed groups
Boys were found to be at higher risk of being recruited into armed groups or forces, more than one in five boys (23%) had experienced this. 11% of girls were also found to have been targeted, we were told that girls included in armed conflict groups have been forced to work as cooks, spies or forced into marriage.
Survey respondents in Sudan were the most likely to have been approached by an armed group, followed closely by Mozambique and Ethiopia.
“Our research is clear that the brutal consequences of conflict are felt by everyone who experiences it – but how it is experienced differs for girls and boys, young women and young men. We can clearly see that conflict deepens and amplifies gender inequality as it reinforces gender stereotypes and increase harmful practices” says Kathleen Sherwin, Plan International.
“Girls pay a high price as conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence disproportionately affects girls, and when families are under financial pressure, we also often see girls’ needs deprioritised more readily compared to their male siblings. It is important to recognise how the impact of conflict differs by gender, so that we can provide all children and young people with the support they need and promote gender equality.”
Standing in solidarity with girls living in conflict
The report – titled ‘Still we dream: Girls and young people living through conflict’ is launched ahead of International Day of the Girl (IDG) on 7 October 2024, which Plan International is marking by calling on supporters around the world to stand in solidarity with girls in conflict through their #UniteforPeace campaign.
The INGO is calling on donors, governments, and decision makers worldwide to take action for girls in conflict, including implementing immediate ceasefires, and commencing meaningful peace talks aimed at lasting peace, ensuring that girls and young people’s voice and specific needs are included.
Plan International also calls for all parties to conflict to immediately end and prevent all grave violations against children in conflict, including recruitment and use by armed forces and armed groups, killing and maiming, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, abductions, and denial of humanitarian access.
The #UniteForPeace campaign calls encourages supporters to share the icon of a heart as a symbol of solidarity for girls, young people and all civilians living through conflict globally.
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