Health Equity and Gender Equality in a More Violent World

Jun 26, 2024 | Valerie Percival
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Violence and instability are rising around the world. Researchers recorded 2022 as the "deadliest year since the Rwandan genocide in 1994" and 2023 as experiencing the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of World War II. Today, protracted wars continue, new violence erupts, and old hostilities such as the war between Israel and Hamas reignite. 

Civilians are the main victims of armed conflict, yet little attention is paid to how civilian suffering impacts the prospects for peace. The protection of civilian health and well-being is not only a moral imperative, but also a strategic one. Declines in health and gender outcomes can further entrench societies in vicious cycles of organized violence, whereas efforts to improve health equity and gender equality help build and maintain peaceful societies.