Women in certain nations across Africa and Oceania face significant challenges due to conflicts that disproportionately affect them, hindering their rights and opportunities.

Gender equality is at the very heart of human rights and United Nations values. This discrimination and violence against women and girls, deeply rooted in the fabric of societies, is persistent and systematic. And in recent years, there has been a recurrence of skepticism against and denial of international standards concerning women’s human rights, gender equality and gender-based violence, while women and girls are increasingly raising voices to demand equality.

Oceania and African countries are the highest when talking about sexual abuse!

African and Oceania countries witness increased cases of gender-based violence, including physical and sexual abuse against women as shown in the United Nations data with Afghanistan, Vanuatu and Equatorial Guinea leading in 2015 (shown in the heatmap).

When Women are exposed to conflict with their husband, women are often vulnerable of what will happen with them whether exploitation, violence, sexual abuse. The cause of their conflicts is vast, and those conflicts can lead the women to be beaten by her husband, and some of them are justifying this act of being beaten. It can start from the last valuable thing which is burning the food when preparing for her husband and with the lowest occurrence (14.33%) and reaching the most valuable point which is neglecting the children which has the highest occurrence (31%), (shown in the bar chart).

The strength of legal rights for all those women differs accordingly to their countries, in the data provided  by the united nations it is shown that the African countries and the island in Oceania are the least when demanding for their rights, however Unites States , Australia, Canada have the highest ratio of women demanding for their rights averaging at 11 out of 12 which can show a correlation between the percentage of female abused sexually and the ratio related to the strength of women legal rights. (shown in the map).

Empowering Women Amid Conflict: Strategies for Equality and Protection in Africa and Oceania

Strengthening legal frameworks to enforce existing laws protecting women’s rights is crucial, alongside providing legal aid and raising awareness. It is also essential for women to be engaging in community dialogues that empower them through economic opportunities, education initiatives, and access to healthcare and support services that can significantly reduce vulnerabilities by raising awareness for women and male on gender roles, in this way reducing the stereotypes that each society can create.

Implementing and constantly monitoring safety measures is pivotal to mitigating instances of violence against women. Regular assessments of the effectiveness of these measures provide insights into what works and what needs improvement, most of the NGO’s target these insights in collaboration with the United Nations. Finally, by facilitating the ease of access to necessities like healthcare, education, shelter, and support services the level of women’s involvement in decision-making roles and well-being increases significantly.

Empowering Women for Peace

The findings highlight the pivotal role of empowering women in African and Oceania regions, demonstrating their profound positive impact on entire communities, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) of gender equality. Empowered women act as catalysts for sustainable peace, fostering social and economic development while ensuring stability within some African and Oceania regions. However, the effectiveness of programs aimed at protecting and empowering women hinges on continuous support and robust enforcement mechanisms.

To address these needs, it’s crucial to strengthen legal frameworks, ensuring comprehensive policies are in place to protect and uphold the rights of women. This includes not only enacting laws but also implementing robust enforcement mechanisms to guarantee their efficacy.

Moreover, the recommendations emphasize the necessity of ongoing investment in programs tailored to empower women and elevate their voices in peacebuilding efforts. By amplifying their roles in decision-making processes and community leadership, these initiatives create a more inclusive and resilient society, where women play active roles in shaping peaceful solutions and driving positive change. More NGO’s like KAFA, Fe-male, Abaad etc… should be acting in these countries to secure the good operations of these programs.