This month, as the world marks International Women’s Day, conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, including in Palestine, Sudan, and Syria, are taking a severe toll on women and girls. Across these conflicts, women and girls contend with uniquely gendered attacks on their bodily autonomy, freedom of movement, and agency; they experience forced and child marriage, sexual violence and trafficking, and increased domestic violence.

The distinct dangers women face are further compounded by prolonged displacement; the targeting of journalists, healthcare professionals, and first responders; disrupted or nonexistent health services; rapidly deteriorating economies; and other impacts of war that leave women and girls vulnerable. Amid humanitarian crisis, period poverty, spikes in miscarriages, and complications with pregnancy become life-threatening. Understanding the gendered dynamics of conflict is key to meaningfully addressing the abuses women face and to achieving lasting, sustainable peace.

On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) hosted a virtual discussion with Dr. Yara Asi (UCF), Reem Abbas (TIMEP), and Alaa Assani (TIMEP), moderated by Paola Salwan Daher. Panelists examined questions such as: What should international stakeholders understand about how women are particularly impacted amid conflict and humanitarian crises? How are women mobilizing to safeguard their well-being, human rights, and access to justice and accountability? How can women be meaningfully integrated into humanitarian response, peacebuilding processes, and political solutions?

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