Advocacy & Development

The military escalation in the Middle East has had a devastating impact on women and girls across the region, and far beyond.

In just two months, the military strikes – including in populated areas and residential zones – have killed and injured thousands of civilians. Homes and critical infrastructure have been completely decimated, and the destruction has displaced millions of people.

UN Women’s ongoing research shows how women and girls are uniquely and disproportionately impacted by conflict and displacement. Right now, the systems that support the health, safety and livelihoods of women and girls in the Middle East are straining – or collapsing entirely – under the pressure of the escalating violence.

While much of the military operations are concentrated in Iran and Lebanon, strikes, displacement and infrastructure damage across the Middle East are disrupting humanitarian access in already fragile areas like Gaza and Yemen. The conflict – which is disrupting global supply-chains in the Strait of Hormuz – is raising energy prices and food insecurity across the world.

For women and girls, these crises are interconnected.

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It was during an air attack in eastern Afghanistan that 30-year-old Najeeba* felt her labour pains begin. Around her, families were already on the move, fleeing renewed hostilities along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. But her baby wasn’t going to wait.

Just six months earlier, the ground had shaken beneath her feet when a massive earthquake devastated the region. Now, it was the skies that she feared.

“There was no safe place”, she recalled, as the conflict reached the camp where she had been living with other families displaced by the earthquake. “Aircraft were flying overhead, and my children were extremely frightened; whenever they heard the sound, they would cry and scream.”

With her husband, she packed up their tent and few remaining belongings. Najeeba gave birth in a Red Crescent clinic, then climbed into a rented mini truck with her newborn daughter, six other children aged two to 11, and her husband, and escaped to a new camp in the Maza Dara Valley, in Nurgal district.

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The media does more than report the news. It shapes the way people think, influences social norms, and creates the narratives through which we understand people, events, and society. While the media has always played this role, its influence is greater today than ever before. We go to sleep after consuming information online and wake up checking news and social media on our phones. Media has become an integral part of our daily lives, making it one of the most powerful institutions in shaping public attitudes and behavior.

The media's influence can be seen across many areas of society. In Nepal, for example, menstruation was long treated as a taboo, and in some communities women were isolated during their menstrual periods as part of cultural or religious practices. Years of media reporting, public discussion, and advocacy gradually changed this narrative. Today, menstruation is increasingly recognized as a normal biological process, and menstrual health has become part of the public conversation. Likewise, Chhaupadi, once accepted as a cultural tradition, is now widely recognized as a harmful practice and a violation of women's rights.

A similar shift has taken place in the way domestic violence is understood. In Nepal, there is a saying that conflict between a husband and wife is like a straw fire—it burns quickly and dies out just as quickly. For many years, this belief encouraged people to treat domestic violence as a private family matter. Today, that perception has changed. Domestic violence is increasingly recognized as a crime, a human rights issue, and a matter of public concern. Despite this progress, it remains one of the most common forms of violence against women in Nepal. More than 20,000 cases are reported to the Nepal Police each year, yet the actual number is likely to be much higher, as many survivors continue to suffer in silence without reporting the abuse. These examples demonstrate that the media does more than report events—it has the power to challenge harmful beliefs, reshape public opinion, and inspire social change.

If the media can help transform public attitudes on issues such as menstruation and domestic violence, it can also play a decisive role in changing the narratives surrounding women in politics and leadership. The question is not whether the media has the power to influence social norms—it clearly does. The real question is how that power is used.

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There are interviews that simply answer questions. Then there are conversations that leave a lasting imprint on the heart. Speaking with Mildred Ngesa, a transformational coach, inspirational speaker, media and communications specialist, women’s rights advocate, and author, was one of those moments.

Throughout the conversation, one message resonated above all else: transformation is possible.

For Ngesa, transformation is not an abstract concept. It is the force that has driven her work across Africa, where she has witnessed women overcoming barriers, challenging stereotypes, and reshaping societies. Her unwavering belief that change can happen continues to fuel her commitment to empowering women and girls.

“My motivation is transformation because I know it is possible,” she said with conviction. “Across the continent, I have seen women transform communities and influence change. It can be done.”

Her words come at a time when women across Africa continue to confront systemic barriers to leadership, education, economic participation, and representation. Yet rather than dwell on these challenges, Ngesa chooses to focus on possibility.

She believes that passion and commitment are the driving forces behind lasting social change.

“Unless we have passion and commitment, we cannot sustain the push to create a level playing field for everyone,” she observed.

The Transformative Power of Media

As someone whose professional journey has been deeply rooted in the media, Ngesa spoke passionately about journalism’s unique ability to shape societies.

“My journey has been in media, and I understand its power,” she explained. “Whether traditional or digital, media has the power to transform lives. But we must use it responsibly.”

For her, ethical journalism is far more than reporting facts. It is about giving voice to those who are often unheard, challenging harmful narratives, and creating opportunities for women and girls to thrive.

She warned that when media spaces are weakened, whether through censorship, misinformation, or unethical practices, it is women and other vulnerable groups who often suffer the greatest consequences.

Protecting Journalism as a Public Good

One of the strongest themes emerging from the discussion was the urgent need to safeguard media freedom.

Ngesa described journalism as a sacred public trust founded on ethics, truth, fairness, objectivity, and justice.

“We have an obligation to protect this media space,” she emphasized. “It is where truth, fairness and justice are pursued.”

While acknowledging the rapid growth of digital media across Africa, she maintained that professional journalism remains indispensable.

Traditional media, she argued, continues to provide the credibility and accountability that societies depend upon, particularly at a time when misinformation spreads rapidly online.

For women journalists, protecting this space is especially important because media remains one of the most powerful tools for advancing gender equality.

Understanding History to Shape the Future

Ngesa also reflected on the importance of understanding history.

Women and girls, she noted, have long experienced exclusion and discrimination. Yet today’s generation has the opportunity and the responsibility to change that narrative.

She finds hope in seeing more women occupying leadership positions across politics, business, media, and civil society.

“The fact that I can stand here, speak about these issues, and meet women who are leading at the highest levels tells me that change is possible.”

Her vision extends beyond the present generation. She dreams of a future where girls will grow up believing leadership is normal not exceptional—for women.

Gender has become one of the defining political battlegrounds of our time.

Across continents, debates about gender identity, bodily autonomy, sexuality, healthcare, family structures, education, sports, and public participation have moved from the margins of political discourse to its very center. Yet rather than expanding rights and protections, many governments, institutions, and powerful actors are increasingly using gender as a tool for political polarization, stigma, control, and criminalization.

Today, gender-diverse people, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and other sexually marginalized groups find themselves confronting growing efforts to criminalize, censor, or restrict fundamental aspects of their lives. Access to gender-affirming healthcare is under attack globally. Gender-based violence continues at alarming rates. LGBTQ+ communities face renewed discrimination and harassment. Hard-won rights that once appeared secure are being challenged, rolled back, or reframed as threats to society itself.

The consequences are visible in nearly every space we inhabit.

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Ziyu, born in 2002, still remembers the first time her mother asked whether she wanted a younger sibling.

It was sometime in middle school, shortly after China loosened its birth restrictions. “I was already buried under academic pressure, emotionally dependent on my mother in the way many anxious only children are. My mother brought it up casually, half-joking: “What if we had another baby?”

She answered with shocking seriousness. “You can only choose one,” she told her. “Either them or me.”

Ziyu does not think she literally meant that she would rather die than accept a sibling. What stayed with her was the fear behind it. At that age, her mother’s attention felt inseparable from survival. The idea of sharing it felt catastrophic.

When China ended the One-Child Policy in 2015, the shift was often described in demographic terms: declining birth rates, an aging population, and a policy adjustment to encourage more births. For women born under the policy, its impact was far more intimate. It shaped how families distributed love and resources, and how young women came to understand their place within the family.

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