#ThisIsNotNormal

Globally, women and girls continue to bear the heaviest brunt of the worst impacts of natural and human-made disasters, and this includes the escalating risks of multiple forms of gender-based violence and harmful practices.

In the Arab region, converging crises are affecting the lives and well-being of women and girls, including protracted humanitarian crises, armed conflicts, forced internal and external displacement, food insecurity and water scarcity, the worsening impacts of climate change, and countless other serious challenges. Meanwhile, the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and high food and fuel prices driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine, are exacerbating the challenges women and girls face in communities across the region and beyond.

In the wake of these unprecedented challenges, more women and girls report to UNFPA that violence against them is becoming increasingly normalized, particularly in humanitarian settings.

Harassment, intimate partner and domestic violence, child and forced marriage, and sexual violence and exploitation are consistently reported, while new trends, such as various forms of cyber violence, have also been observed in recent years. Women and girls also report that this sense of normalization is eroding their resilience, particularly for those living in humanitarian settings.

The normalization of violence against women and girls poses a serious risk to sustainable peace and security and could derail progress towards the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The international community must act with urgency and in solidarity to reject the risk of the normalization of violence against women and girls, and ensure that programmes designed to respond to this trend are at the front and centre of humanitarian responses.

The “#ThisIsNotNormal” campaign comes in response to increasing reports by women and girls that violence against them is becoming so widespread and unchecked, that it is normalized in some communities. Featuring the voices of artists and influencers, across Arab region, such as Ghada Saba, Joanna Arida, Maya Ammar, and Alaa Hamdan, the campaign aims to counter this alarming trend, amplify the voices of women and girls survivors of gender-based violence, and reaffirm global commitment to ending gender-based violence, including sexual violence in conflict, and providing justice and support services to all those affected.