Blog

Roughly half of the World’s 60 million plus displaced people - 19 million refugees and 41 million internally displaced people (IDPs) - are female. This the highest number ever recorded and the numbers continue to rise. According to the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Gutierrez “we are witnessing…an unchecked slide into an era in which the scale of global forced displacement as well as the response required is now clearly dwarfing anything seen before”.

Women, already facing multiple inequalities, face significantly greater risks in displacement – especially discrimination, grinding harassment, and often sexual and gender based violence. Host and transit countries need to be aware of the specific dangers faced by women and try and provide for the safety and special services they require, especially for the most vulnerable, i.e. unaccompanied women and children, female headed families, and pregnant, disabled, and older women. However, many countries are overwhelmed with the sheer numbers they face and unable to adequately respond despite the efforts of local and international humanitarian agencies.

Continue reading the article on World Bank MENA blog here.