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Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker: July Updates

July 23, 2025

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Our Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker combines real-time data points and original analysis to offer gender-sensitive insight into conflict dynamics across 25 countries. The WPS Conflict Tracker is updated monthly to reflect developments for women’s participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery. To see the complete analysis across all 25 countries monitored, please visit the WPS Conflict Tracker website.

Spotlight: Syria 

Violence erupted in Syria between Druse militias and government forces in Sweida province, following a spate of attacks and kidnappings by both Druse and Bedouin communities. More than 500 people were killed, including at least 17 women, while 93,000 people have been displaced. Civilians stuck in Sweida have little access to clean water, electricity, or humanitarian aid, while hospitals were reportedly overwhelmed. Such conditions are known to expose women and girls to inadequate sanitation, disease transmission, and abuse. Israel also struck Syria’s military headquarters in Damascus, as well as at least 160 targets in Sweida, after threatening to intervene in the conflict between Druse and government fighters. Although a fragile ceasefire was announced by the Syrian government on July 16, 2025, and government forces were redeployed to quell fighting, the security situation remains tenuous and some civilians are still trapped in the province. The conflict in Sweida is a particularly brutal example of ethnic violence that has flared throughout Syria since the Assad regime fell in December 2024, including the abduction of dozens of Alawite women due to their perceived association with the former regime. Sectarian violence and the potential for further regional escalation threaten Syria’s overall stability and the safety of women and girls, particularly those who are members of minority groups.

Risks & Opportunities

The WPS Conflict Tracker analyzes and identifies current risks and opportunities—including new developments, upcoming events, or looming threats—for women in the 25 conflict-affected settings we monitor. Updates for July 2025 include:  

Afghanistan

• Afghan women continue to face urgent immigration challenges. Iran is pushing to deport more than 4 million Afghans, including many lone women. Women forcibly returned to Afghanistan will have virtually no ability to support themselves or secure housing due to the near-total repression of their rights to employment, education, and public life. Nine in ten women-headed returnee households lack permanent shelter. This comes alongside an ongoing push to return Afghan refugees from Pakistan—half of whom are women and girls—and the termination of Afghans’ Temporary Protected Status in the United States. 
• The International Criminal Court issued warrants on July 8, 2025, for two Taliban leaders alleging persecution of women and girls. These warrants reinforce condemnation for the Taliban’s systematic erasure of Afghan women and girls from public life and strengthen recognition of gender persecution as a crime against humanity. Afghan civil society organizations are also reportedly planning to announce a People’s Tribunal on Women and Girls of Afghanistan, with hearings to begin in Spain in October 2025. This will take place under the umbrella of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, a civil society-led effort that enables all victims and survivors to share their stories.  

Colombia 

• Women continue to lead social movements and work to prevent violence amidst escalating armed conflict, including by supporting the Peasant Association of the Cimitarra River Valley to reduce conflicts over land and offer farmers substitutes for growing coca. Mothers in conflict-affected communities have also partnered with other activists and rural authorities to form a new organization—the Intercultural Humanitarian Guard—to identify and locate children kidnapped or recruited into armed groups. Child recruitment is rising in Colombia; 58 percent of people living in conflict zones identified it as the top risk facing their communities.  

Ethiopia 

• State control over civil society is at risk of tightening, as a proposed amendment reportedly enables the Ministry of Justice and the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations to impose arbitrary administrative and funding constraints—such as suspending their work or revoking their licenses— with little oversight. This amendment would escalate the ongoing crackdown on civil society and create additional challenges and risks for women who work for or benefit from these organizations. 
• June 2025 reporting documents how the insertion of foreign objects into women’s reproductive organs during rape–seemingly in an effort to prevent future pregnancies—continues to cause serious medical complications. At least 120,000 women and girls are estimated to have been raped during the conflict, with many still enduring pain, infection, and trauma with little recourse or access to justice.

Haiti 

• Haiti is experiencing the largest displacement from political upheaval in its history, with women comprising half of displaced persons. Gangs—which now control an estimated 90 percent of the capital—have established government structures in the absence of public services, taken control of trade routes for fuel and rice, and expanded to the border of the Dominican Republic to control key roads for illegal weapons. This could expose women and girls to higher rates of sexual violence and exploitation and increase transnational trafficking in arms and people. 
• In response to the growing crisis, Haitians are building capacity to combat sexual violence through specialized judicial units and community trainings, while feminist leaders are creating platforms to amplify women’s protection in global forums. On July 4, 2025, the Haitian Government, in partnership with UNICEF and the EU, also launched PREJEUNES, a three-year program to protect children from recruitment by armed gangs. The initiative aims to provide comprehensive support for rehabilitation and reintegration of affected youth, with particular focus on providing protection, education, psychosocial support, and vocational training to girls exposed to multiple forms of violence. 

Iran

• Since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, Iranian authorities have tightened security enforcement, putting women and girls at greater risk of repression and retaliation. Arrests of those accused of spying for Israel have spiked, and there is particular risk to those linked to the Women, Life, Freedom movement after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoked it when calling for Iranians to overthrow the current regime. External calls for regime change may result in Iran’s leadership growing more hardline and insular, mitigating the influence of reformists in the government and potentially triggering further erosion of women’s rights.

Iraq

• July 24, 2025, marks 11 years since the Yazidi genocide. More than a decade has passed, yet significant barriers to recovery and reparation for the Yazidi community remain. Yazidi women in Iraq face socioeconomic marginalization and continued displacement, while those abroad are at risk of forced repatriation. 
• The Kurdistan People’s Party (PKK), which operates in northern Iraq, has agreed to a peace process and an eventual ceasefire, a move that would promote stability in the region and could enable displaced civilians to return home. Many civilians, especially women and children, have been impacted by violence or forced to flee since conflict between the Turkish government and PKK forces began in 1984. Forty percent of PKK members are women and may therefore face unique challenges when demobilizing and reintegrating into their communities; the peace process is an opportunity to address these challenges for female combatants. 

Mozambique

• Women peace sentinels—240 women who have been trained in conflict mediation, human rights, and gender justice—have helped fill resource gaps and encourage women’s participation and protection in political processes. As observers in the 2024 national elections, peace sentinels monitored incidents of gender-based electoral violence and raised awareness for women’s political participation. They have also brought the three largest political parties in Báruè district to sign a Women’s Peace Commitment Declaration to overcome historical divisions. More than 55 safe spaces for women and girls have also been created by peace sentinels in nine districts, which provide services and community engagement. 

Israel/Palestine

• At least 875 Palestinians—including women and children—have been killed while attempting to collect food, primarily from private Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid hubs. This includes mothers shot and killed by Israeli soldiers in front of their children while attempting to retrieve food. The privatization and control of aid sites—as well as a 130-day complete blockade on food and fuel into Gaza—have led to a dramatic spike in violence and starvation, prompting 170 charities and aid groups to call for the GHF to be shut down. The entire population of Gaza is at risk of famine. 

Myanmar

• Conflict is enabling unregulated rare earth mining throughout Myanmar, leading to high levels of toxins—including arsenic—in rivers; as women and girls are often responsible for cooking and washing, they are more likely to be exposed to contaminated water.  Women seeking work in mines have also reported sexual exploitation from mining supervisors, while women living near mines are at greater risk of sexual violence.
• Female digital activists in Myanmar are operating at great personal risk to themselves to combat the military junta’s campaign of violence and digital censorship. These women activists, both within and outside of Myanmar, organize resistance through encrypted platforms and document abuses like sexual violence and extrajudicial killings. This work builds upon women’s long-standing leadership in Myanmar to address violence and hold perpetrators accountable.

Niger

• Niger experienced one of its deadliest months on record in June 2025 as the Islamic State Sahel Province launched a major offensive that killed hundreds of civilians, in part by targeting public areas like marketplaces. Women and girls who live in areas governed by these groups also face unique challenges, including forced marriages and heightened security threats due to instability and the erosion of their rights.

Sudan

• The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) remain locked in conflict, with civilians bearing the brunt of violence—including heavy weapons strikes. The RSF allegedly killed more than 300 people, including pregnant women and children, during attacks in North Kordofan state on July 12 and 13, 2025. The UN fact-finding mission for Sudan also warned that all sides of the country’s conflict are weaponizing humanitarian relief, impeding civilians’ access. More than half of Sudan is now suffering from acute food insecurity, including nearly two-thirds of female-headed households. 
• New research highlights the multifaceted challenges facing young Sudanese women displaced both internally and in neighboring countries. Discrimination in host countries’ job markets, language barriers, sexual harassment, and difficulty transferring qualifications all impede their ability to safely earn a livelihood and increase exposure to dangerous or low-wage work. Young women also face difficulties continuing their education and financial obstacles to securing healthcare, with the majority of respondents reporting the development of new health conditions related to the conflict. 

South Sudan

• South Sudan remains at risk of returning to full-scale civil war amidst worsening political tensions and deteriorating security. Violence against civilians—including sexual violence—has risen by 30 percent compared to 2024, threatening women and girls’ security and ability to participate in public life. Arbitrary arrests are also reportedly increasing, targeting women who violate gender norms, critics of the government, and politicians. Women have been detained for seeking divorces and refusing or fleeing from arranged or forced marriages.
• Young girls continue to be attacked and threatened by armed actors, frequently while traveling to or attending school: in June 2025, armed men kidnapped four girls walking to take their exams, and a girls’ boarding school was surrounded and harassed by armed actors in May. This violence—often stemming from inter-communal conflict—further impedes girls’ access to education and future employment opportunities, which have already been eroded by conflict.  

Ukraine

• The Fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference in July 2025 reaffirmed support for gender-inclusive recovery. Key outcomes of the conference included expanded membership in the Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery for Ukraine and €7 million in EU funding for women’s engagement. 

Ukraine’s accession as the 125th State Party to the Rome Statute on July 17, 2025, brought the country under International Criminal Court jurisdiction, potentially expanding pathways to justice for conflict-related sexual violence and other atrocities by Russian forces.

In The News 

The Child Brides of Iraq: Clerics and Adherents to Stubborn Cultural Norms are Failing the Country’s Girls by Minatullah Alobaidi for New Lines Magazine

This article examines how Iraqi religious leaders and politicians increasingly normalize and defend child marriage, threatening decades of progress in women’s rights. At this year’s Sulaimani Forum, Zahra al-Sadr of the Al-Hikma Movement defended what she called “early marriage” as a cultural practice, dismissing human rights concerns as “Western propaganda.” This rhetoric coincides with Iraq’s amended Personal Status Law, which allows Shiite marriage contracts to bypass civil courts. Civil society and women’s rights groups have protested the law, as its legal ambiguity—combined with growing religious endorsement—creates a dangerous environment where child marriage is increasingly legitimized under the guise of religious freedom and cultural tradition. The consequences for girls are severe, including loss of education and career opportunities, and increased vulnerability to abuse. Iraq’s trajectory serves as a warning of what happens when religious authority is allowed to override human rights protections for vulnerable children.

What the Critical Minerals Race Means for Women by Jessica Anania for Foreign Policy

This piece explores what the escalating race for critical and rare earth mineral dominance means for women and girls in conflict-affected settings. Increased mineral extraction will uniquely impact women, who are crucial to the success of mining yet disproportionately shoulder its consequences. Women comprise 40-90 percent of global artisanal and small-scale miners, are responsible for up to 90 percent of mineral processing in countries like Mali and Burkina Faso, and are vital interlocutors between miners and local communities. Yet, female miners and women living near mining projects face greater risks—including sexual violence, trafficking, and exploitation—while receiving less economic benefit compared to men. Women have also been largely absent from recent negotiations and agreements for mineral access. This piece ends by recommending steps to mitigate risks to women and ensure their meaningful inclusion in future mineral deals.