Over 8 million women in Ukraine in need of aid
This handout picture taken and released by Ukrainian State Emergency Service on August 20, 2022, shows people evacuating from a destroyed residential building after shelling in the town of Voznesensk, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
What you need to know:
- An estimated 3,238 women and girls have been killed and 4,872 injured.
- In Ukraine, one out of every two businesses is founded by a woman.
- In 2023 alone, Ukrainian women led over 10,000 new companies.
Over eight million women and girls in Ukraine will need humanitarian assistance this year, new estimates by UN Women shows.
Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion two years ago, an estimated 3,238 women and girls have been killed and 4,872 injured; while 56 per cent of about four million internally displaced are women.
Predictions by the UN Women show that women and girls will this year account for 56 per cent of those expected to need humanitarian assistance (eight million women and girls).
As the war continues, women in Ukraine face increased challenges in accessing security, justice, social services, mental, sexual and reproductive health services, employment, and other essential services.
The war has also heightened the risks of gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, human trafficking, and intimate partner violence.
About 72 per cent of people registered as unemployed are women. However, amidst these unprecedented challenges of war, women have become the backbone of Ukraine’s economy.
Currently, one out of every two businesses is founded by a woman. In 2023 alone, Ukrainian women led over 10,000 new companies.
Additionally, more than 62,000 women are serving in the military, including 43,479 on active duty and over 5,000 stationed on the frontline.
“As women continue to suffer the consequences of the war in Ukraine, they need support, security, and most of all, peace.
“Their resilience throughout has been enduring and remarkable. I reiterate UN Women’s solidarity and admiration for every woman in Ukraine who is supporting her family, community and country whether through the provision of humanitarian assistance, or leadership of contributing to recovery and reconstruction,” Sabine Freizer Gunes, the UN Women Representative in Ukraine said in a statement.
Women and women-led organisations play a significant role in providing humanitarian aid, supporting their communities and sustaining the economy.
Anastasiia Pyrohova from Women's Perspectives, one of the 40 civil society organisations working in the country, has, for example, been offering counselling services to fellow displaced women.
“As an internally displaced person and professional psychologist, I have been helping other women to overcome their problems, including forced displacement, violence, and unemployment,” said Ms Pyrohova.
UN Women is currently working in Ukraine providing humanitarian response to more than 45,000 women and girls as well as 100,000 dependents indirectly supported in 2023 through life-saving humanitarian assistance, as well as psychological support, legal aid, and referrals to social services.
In 2023, UN Women disbursed $10.6 million to support women and women-led civil society organisations nationwide.
UN Women is also closely cooperating with the government and civil society to further advance laws and policies that support gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Women are also being economically empowered through livelihood recovery support, skills development, business support, and access to employment as part of initiatives like the “Women's Entrepreneurship Expo”.
The war has taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions, traumatised a generation, torn families and communities, and devastated the economy.
The total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine is estimated by the World Bank, European Commission, UN and the Ukrainian government at $486 billion over the next decade.
