PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Mike Buchanan

Telephone: +44 7967 026163

Email: davia@endtodv.org

UN Women Report Falsifies the Truth about Civilian Deaths in Gaza

January 31, 2024 – UN Women recently published the “Gendered Impact of the Crisis in Gaza” report, which makes the claim that among civilians killed in the Gaza conflict, 70% are “women and children” (1). But a review of the actual numbers points to a different conclusion, suggesting the purpose of UN Women document is to promote a false gender narrative, not to encourage informed public debate.

The UN Women report presents six major flaws:

  1. Inappropriately combining “women” and “children:” The UN Women report repeatedly uses the phrase “women and children,” as if the deaths of men and fathers do not matter.
  2. Failure to report actual numbers: The Palestinian Information Center recently published a report regarding the 28,951 civilian casualties seen during the current war in Gaza. The PIC report states, “This toll includes 12,345 children, 6,471 women, 295 healthcare workers, 41 civil defense members, and 113 journalists.” (2) Based on these numbers, 9,686 civilian men also died. Thus, children represent 42.6% of all civilian deaths, followed by men (33.5%) and women (22.4%). But the UN Women report never cites these numbers.
  3. Faulty arithmetic: Adding the percentages for children (42.6%) and women (22.4%) equals 65.0%. But the UN Women report repeatedly uses the faulty 70% number. Facts matter.
  4. Unsourced 70% number: The stated source of the 70% figure is a January 18 report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (3). But the OCHA paper does not provide any overall numbers about civilian deaths in Gaza.
  5. Shortchanging children: Given that children represent the largest group affected by the Gaza conflict, one would expect that most of the report’s recommendations would address the need to support children and their aid organizations. But virtually all of the recommendations focus on “Working with and for Women’s Organizations.” (page 10)
  6. Ignoring the needs of men and boys: Two statements in the UN Women report are particularly egregious:
    • The report claims that the “trauma of daily bombardment leaves both mental and physical scars for women and girls who survive.” (page 9) Does UN Women believe that boys are not also affected by the toll of daily bombardments?
    • The document wants to supply immediate humanitarian assistance only to “women and girls.” (page 11) UN Women expressly seeks to deny humanitarian assistance for men and boys.

The United Nations has expressed deep concerns about the global problem of disinformation (4). The UN Women report is a particularly disturbing example of such disinformation.

Given the factual errors, unsourced numbers, and pervasive gender biases in the UN Women report, the Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance calls on UN Women to remove its dishonest “Gendered Impact” report no later than February 15, 2024.

Email: janine.kandel@unwomen.org

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 122 member organizations from 34 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and gender-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/coalitions/davia/

Links:

  1. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2024/01/gender-alert-the-gendered-impact-of-the-crisis-in-gaza#:~:text=Since%207%20October%202023%2C%20more,1%20million%20women%20and%20girls
  2. https://english.palinfo.com/reports/2024/01/15/312808/
  3. Footnote 5: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-96
  4. https://www.un.org/en/countering-disinformation