Violence against women and adolescent girls in the Gaza Strip has risen alarmingly, encompassing incidents of child marriage, forced marriage, and sexual violence. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has reported these findings based on recent data.
Analyzing information collected from ten organizations, the UNFPA revealed that documented cases of child and forced marriage in Gaza surged by 123 percent in the second quarter of this year compared to the previous quarter.
Another report, based on interviews with 230 women in displacement camps in Gaza City and Khan Younis, paints an even grimmer picture. One woman stated that girls who have been raped are often married off to their rapists to avoid social stigma.
Another woman recounted how, during the famine last year, a man married off his 14-year-old daughter in exchange for two sacks of flour so that he and his other children could secure food. Six women across various camps reported similar incidents.
Nestor Omuhangi, the UNFPA Representative for Palestine, stated that Gaza’s social fabric has collapsed due to the war, mass casualties, widespread destruction, and repeated displacement.
