Conflicts and crises intensify the need for gender equality and health equity

Shobha Shukla *

Conflicts and humanitarian crises significantly exacerbate pre-existing gender inequalities for women, girls and gender diverse populations, leading to increased vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence, reproductive health complications, and mental health challenges, alongside reduced access to basic needs like healthcare and shelter and livelihoods.

Wars and conflicts, extreme climate events (like floods and famine), religious fundamentalism and other extremism, and other forms of humanitarian crises put gender diverse individuals, women and girls to heightened risks of human rights violations.

Sinister link of patriarchy with religious fundamentalism, militarisation and gender inequality

The human rights and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan threatens everyone there, but lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and other gender diverse peoples face an acute threat of violence and even death from the Taliban authorities.

The situation for Afghan women is deplorable with respect to the commitments made by governments to advance gender equality and human rights. The dominant Islamic law has no tolerance for LGBTQI+ persons. They face constant persecution and risk, said Parwen, a lesbian person from Afghanistan, while narrating her horror story in SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity & Rights) session on "Impact of conflicts and other humanitarian crises on gender justice and health."

On a fateful day in March 2025, she and her longtime lover Maryam and Maeve, a transgender friend, tried to escape to Iran. But things backfired because the Taliban apprehended and detained Maryam and Maeve and they have been in captivity since then. Luckily Parwen was able to get through the security check at the airport because her brother agreed to sign off as her male chaperone to give her permission. By the time the Taliban reached the airport hunting for Parwen, her flight had taken off.

The Taliban are searching for Parwen. But she is determined to continue fighting even in her darkest and loneliest hours.

Parwen is now the face of lesbians and LGBTQI+ persons of Afghanistan who have no rights. "I have endured hardships my whole life. Since the current regime has come to power we have no hope, there is nothing to live for us - the gender diverse peoples. But we will keep fighting for our rights until LGBTQI+ people are free in our homeland. I am willing to sacrifice my own life in our struggle for equality and justice because I do not want any other LGBTQI+ person to suffer in future," she asserts.

Parwen has an ally in Nemat Sadat, CEO of Roshaniya (an Advocacy network dedicated to assisting LGBTQI+ Afghans). Nemat is one of the first Afghans to have openly come out as gay in 2013 and to campaign for LGBTQI+ rights, gender freedom, and sexual liberty.

"We have a list of over 1,000 LGBTQI+ people who still remain in Afghanistan. To this date we have supported the safe evacuation of 265 people to other countries and we hope that Parwen will also get to a safe place, although right now her future looks very uncertain. We will continue our fight until we are all free, and hopefully in a post-Taliban world democracy will return to Afghanistan. I am sure that day will come in our lifetime,” said an optimistic Nemat.

Conflict regions are facing unprecedented crises

The ongoing conflict in South Sudan has disempowered and traumatised the marginalised people like LGBTQI+ community, people living with HIV, sex workers and people with disability. There is physical violence, domestic violence, and sexual abuse, shared Rachel Adau, Executive Director of the Women’s Empowerment Centre South Sudan, that works for the empowerment of socially disadvantaged and excluded groups in South Sudan.

In the words of Rachel, “Our healthcare system is breaking down. Maternal and child healthcare is at its worst because the health facilities have no services to offer. There is also increased risk of communicable diseases. Right now there is a cholera outbreak in South Sudan due to contaminated river water. People who live along the river have no access to clean water. There is food insecurity due to the conflict. Malnutrition and anemia in young women and pregnant and lactating mothers and children under five is high. There is a high dropout rate of girls from schools as they do not have dignity kits. All this is resulting in mental health issues too.”

Rachel explained that South Sudan has two judicial systems - the constitution and the customary traditional laws. As per tradition, 'men are perceived as the bread winners' and South Sudanese women are considered to be the minority gender. They have no access to resources or decision making, and no voice in leadership. As per the constitution all women in South Sudan have equal rights, but they are unable to exercise them due to poor implementation of the laws. For example, even though they have a legal right to own property, most often they are denied this right because of their gender. Also perpetrators of gender-based violence go unpunished.

It is indeed unfortunate that household and care work done by girls and women is unpaid, undervalued and under-recognised. Same goes for sexual and reproductive labour. If girls and women had equitable access to education, social support services, workforce participation and rights, then it could herald some hope. But as of now, harmful narratives and gender norms fuelled by deeply entrenched patriarchy are confronting gender equality, not only in Sudan, but in many other countries of Asia and Africa.

Warn-torn Lebanon

The situation in war-torn Lebanon is no better. The escalation of Israel’s military operations has unleashed a profound and cascading humanitarian crises. More than 1 million people in Lebanon have fled their homes since September 2024. Israeli strikes have killed around 4000 people in Lebanon and thousands of buildings and houses have been destroyed. Hospitals and healthcare facilities have been bombed.

The conflict has exacerbated existing inequalities, leading to increased vulnerability and challenges in accessing basic needs and services. The cost of physical damages and economic losses due to the conflict in Lebanon is estimated at US$ 8.5 billion, according to a World Bank report. In terms of economic growth, the conflict is estimated to have cut Lebanon’s GDP growth by an estimated 9% in 2024.

The vulnerable and marginalised groups - women and girls, gender diverse individuals, people living with HIV, people with disabilities, elderly and others have been the worst affected, shared Bertho Makso who works with the International Planned Parenthood Federation at its Arab World Regional Office in Lebanon and leads regional community engagement and networks. Bertho is also co-founder of Proud Lebanon, an organisation that provides support for the LGBTQI+ community.

Bertho is grateful to IPPF for supporting Proud Lebanon through the Lebanese Association For Family Health (SALAMA) to provide critical humanitarian support focusing on sexual and reproductive health and mental healthcare and outreach for the LGBTQI+ individuals and for people living with HIV. They have provided free medical services (including mental health services), specialised services and lifesaving antiretroviral therapy services to people living with HIV and hormonal therapy for transgenders in a dignified manner.

Extreme Climate events taking their toll

According to Nelly Munyasia, Executive Director at Reproductive Health Network of Kenya, the Global South continues to face many humanitarian crises. ‘We face floods, we face hunger, we also face war, and women and girls and the LGBTQI+ community continue to be the most affected. There is an increase in gender-based violence, disrupted access to essential services like education and healthcare, heightened risk of women and girls facing sexual exploitation, early marriage, intimate partner violence and displacement. We have seen young girls during this period being forced to get married so that maybe their family can get some 'bride price,' or because they do not want the young girls to be a burden as they flee the conflict areas."

"There is also disruption in education and healthcare services. When roads are broken, girls and women are not able to cross over the river banks, which disrupts their education and affects access to healthcare. Women who need antenatal care (medical and supportive care a woman receives during her pregnancy), or contraceptives and family planning, people living HIV who need their routine medicine refills- they are not able to access them because of either conflict or the flood crisis. Large scale displacement, food insecurity, and breakdown of social structures - all of these expose women to increased sexual exploitation."

Constitutional promises vs regressive GCD in Kenya

Nelly comes down heavily (and rightly so) on Kenya hosting the 2nd Pan-African Conference on Family Values- an event which is being opposed by those who support bodily autonomy, gender equality and human rights and believe in gender diversity where no one is left behind.

“Kenya has not only signed the contentious and regressive 'Geneva Consensus Declaration (GCD)' but it will also be hosting the so-called family values conference in May 2025. This is very problematic because it creates an environment for the anti-rights movement to penetrate deeper into policy spaces of Kenya. We continue as a movement to call out and speak against this regressive group of individuals who purport to be ensuring that they are restoring African values, but what they are trying to preach is not African- for example, when they talk about killing of the LGBTQI+ community and when they spread hatred then these are neither African or human values. Kenya's constitution is very clear in terms of providing services to all, including reproductive health services, but most importantly protecting life. So keeping in mind the disinformation peddled by the anti-rights groups, we should focus on ensuring that we implement the constitution. We must hold the government accountable and also support the government so that when opposition strikes they can deal with the anti-rights groups, so that everyone enjoys their rights not only in Kenya but Africa as a whole," she says.

The recent report of the Lancet Commission on Gender and Global Health, while emphasising the critical link between gender justice and global health equity, also acknowledges the rise of anti-gender ideologies and the need to counter their harmful effects on global health and gender equality. It says- "We are in ‘the fight of our lives’ against the anti-gender rhetoric and a rollback of gender rights. Now is a crucial moment in time to turn the tide on the rise of anti-gender rhetoric and to increase understanding of the importance of gender in public health."

Let us work together for a feminist and gender-just inclusive world order where everyone has equal rights, equal dignity and equal access and control of resources, irrespective of their caste, creed or gender identity. Gender inequality and toxic masculinity must end with us.