War affects over 600 million women and girls, UN says

Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Top U.N. officials say more than 600 million women and girls are now affected by war. That’s a 50% increase from a decade ago. The officials say women fear the world has forgotten them amid an escalating backlash against women’s rights and gender equality. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says in a new report that amid record levels of armed conflict and violence, progress over the decades for women is vanishing. He says generational gains in women’s rights hang in the balance around the world. A two-day U.N. Security Council meeting ended Friday on the topic.