In Ukraine And Around The World, Women And Girls Are Always Hit Hardest By War

War disproportionately affects women and girls. It is a universal, horrible truth.

- Bel Trew

Even when the guns go silent the devastating impact of conflict will always continue to unfairly rage through the lives of women and girls more so than men.

This is such a recognised fact that in 2000 the United Nations Security Council adopted a landmark resolution acknowledging this and warning of the inevitability of gender-based violence like rape. The resolution also pointed out that while war is almost exclusively started by men, women are rarely at the negotiating table.

The sad truth is that after a year of President Putin's bloody invasion, Ukraine is no exception to this grim global truth. And this is not just being felt by Ukrainian women and girls but also by women and girls throughout the world because of the devastating impact Moscow's war has had on the global economy and supply chains.

In Ukraine, the UN has repeatedly warned that the war and the subsequent mass displacement it caused has significantly increased the risk of domestic violence, trafficking and exploitation.

Almost immediately after we saw Europe's largest refugee crisis in generations unfurl, sex rings began picking off vulnerable women as they escaped to what they thought was safety.

Ukraine's border crossings are still lined with posters warning female refugees of the dangers they could face.