UN reports surge in violence against women and rise in early and forced marriages in Gaza

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned of a “severe escalation” in early and forced marriages, highlighting a sharp rise in such practices across several crisis‑affected regions. The agency’s latest assessment indicates that the number of children, particularly girls, entering into marriage before the legal age has increased markedly over the past year, outpacing previous trends and raising concerns about the long‑term social and health impacts on vulnerable populations.

UNFPA attributes the surge to a combination of factors, including heightened displacement, economic instability, and the breakdown of protective community structures amid ongoing conflicts and natural disasters. The organization urges governments, humanitarian actors, and civil‑society groups to strengthen legal enforcement, expand education and livelihood programs, and provide targeted support to at‑risk families in order to curb the practice and safeguard the rights of children.