War’s Hidden Victims. How Global Conflict Is Devastating Women Worldwide

Global conflicts, including the war in the Middle East, disproportionately affect women and girls. They make up nearly 80% of people displaced by conflict and face increased risks of gender-based violence, forced marriage, and loss of access to essential services like healthcare, education, and clean water. When infrastructure collapses, maternal healthcare disappears, and schools close, the ripple effects can last for generations, primarily affecting women and the children they raise.

UN data indicates women and children constitute 80% of displaced populations. Host Jamira Burley notes war disrupts healthcare, schools, food systems, and economic stability, leading to increased gender-based violence and loss of education for women and girls.

The US military conducted 'preemptive strikes' in the Middle East, resulting in the bombing of an Iranian girls' school and the deaths of 175 people, mostly children. A Pentagon investigation found US forces likely used outdated intelligence, mistaking the school for a military base. This incident exemplifies how civilians, particularly women and children, bear the brunt of wars initiated by external powers, often without congressional approval.

A preliminary Pentagon investigation found US forces likely bombed an Iranian girls' school, killing 175 people, mostly children, after relying on outdated intelligence that identified the building as an adjacent Revolutionary Guard base. Host Jamira Burley highlights that 'preemptive strike' is not deemed acceptable under international law.

The financial cost of US military interventions is staggering, with the first six days of a recent conflict costing $11.3 billion. This massive expenditure stands in stark contrast to the lack of funding for critical domestic issues such as student loan debt cancellation, universal healthcare, free education, affordable daycare, and public safety. The hosts argue that this reflects a systemic misallocation of resources, prioritizing war over the well-being of American citizens.

The first six days of the US-Iran conflict cost $11.3 billion. Host Bria Baker lists numerous domestic issues like student loan debt, healthcare, and education that lack adequate funding, stating, 'We don't have money for none of that stuff. We got money for six days of bombing Iran.'

Despite being disproportionately affected by conflict, women are powerful agents of peace and diplomacy. Research shows that when women participate in peace negotiations, agreements are 35% more likely to last at least 15 years. However, women remain dramatically underrepresented in these formal diplomatic processes, hindering the potential for more stable and lasting resolutions.

Research from the Council on Foreign Relations shows that when women participate in peace negotiations, agreements are 35% more likely to last at least 15 years. Host Bria Baker notes, 'And yet women remain dramatically underrepresented in those formal diplomatic negotiations.'

The US, which once led the world by codifying the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act in 2017 to promote women's leadership in conflict resolution, has significantly rolled back these efforts. The current administration cut 90% of WPS funding and disbanded key offices like the Office of Global Women's Issues (GWI). This dismantling of infrastructure that supported women's roles in peacebuilding is a detrimental 'full circle moment' that weakens the US's capacity to address global conflicts effectively.

Jelina Porter states the WPS Act of 2017 made the US the only government to have a law promoting women's leadership in conflict resolution. She notes the current administration cut 90% of WPS funding and disbanded the Office of Global Women's Issues (GWI), calling it a 'full circle moment that has been very detrimental to women and girls.'

Black women in foreign policy face significant systemic barriers within an establishment described as 'pale male and Yale.' Jelina Porter, as the first Black woman Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the US Department of State, experienced resistance and felt she had to 'pick up all the pieces by herself' after breaking a 'glass ceiling.' Despite the Biden administration's rhetoric on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the materialized outcomes often fell short, with key leadership roles remaining largely homogenous.

Jelina Porter, the first Black woman to serve as Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the US Department of State, states her presence 'ruffled a lot of feathers' and challenged the 'pale male and Yale' institution. She notes the Biden administration's DEI campaign 'was not the same as the materialized outcomes.'