By Irene Escudero
Madrid, June 24 (EFE).– As the world witnesses the highest number of armed conflicts since 1946, women not only suffer disproportionately from war, but are the first and most effective shield of containment and humanitarian attention.
Before international agencies or aid convoys manage to get around the fronts and restrictions that some countries place on access to the population, local women’s networks often play a role of providing aid at the front line.
However, this crucial effort faces financial challenges caused by cuts in international aid and the historical exclusion of women from peace negotiations.
«Whether it’s a conflict, whether it’s the climate crisis, or the instrumentalization of sexual violence, it’s always women who are on the front line suffering the most due to the level of impunity and conflict in the world right now,» Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told EFE.
