Scale of Forced Marriage in Gaza Is Revealed in UN Report
UNFPA says reported early and forced marriages rose 123% in Gaza’s second quarter as sexual violence cases also increased.
- The United Nations Population Fund reported last week that Gaza's humanitarian crisis has triggered escalating gender-based violence, with early and forced marriage cases surging 123% in the second quarter of 2026.
- Extreme circumstances over the past three years have broken down social structures in Gaza, according to Nestor Owomuhangi, the UNFPA representative to Palestine, who said "everything is eroded... there is no system."
- Incidents of sexual violence "have become critical in Gaza," accounting for 2.7% of total reported GBV cases from April to June 2026—a 61% surge in absolute case numbers from the prior quarter.
- Families see marrying their daughters as a way to preserve modesty and protect them in crowded camps, while a lack of privacy and single-sex facilities has left women more physically exposed to harassment.
- Outdated laws in Palestinian territories have long deprived women of mechanisms to hold abusers accountable, and the UNFPA report notes that closure of Islamic courts removed "legal safeguards" during the war.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Gaza: The increase in reports of violence against women and girls in Gaza, including child and forced marriages, occurs in the midst of the protracted crisis in the enclave, devastated by the Israeli war genocide, “has created conditions in which they face increasing risks of gender-based violence”, reported the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
UN reports reveal the condition of women in Gaza's communities
United Nations has disclosed that women in Gaza are being subjected to severe gender-based violence (GBV), forced into marriages with their rapists and even sold for food within their own communities. The startling findings were documented in its latest reports. “Women and girls continue to face high rates of GBV, many of which result in life-threatening consequences, particularly extreme emotional trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorde…
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Women in Gaza are being traded for food, forced to marry their rapists: UN
Women in Gaza are being traded for food and forced into marriages with their rapists, according to a pair of reports from the United Nations -- underscoring the critical importance of President Trump's Board of Peace in the war-torn enclave.
Gender-related violence against women and girls has increased in the Gaza Strip in recent months, warns UNFPA, the UN organization for sexual health. According to the UN, one of the most worrying developments is the sharp increase in the number of reports of forced marriages, such as those involving children. A data analysis by ten aid organizations, including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), shows that the number of reported cases in …
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