TW: mention of rape and sexual violence

On Jan. 24, a day after the Oscar nominations announcements, Hillary Clinton took to her social media accounts expressing her condolences and support for Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig, who were widely regarded as being snubbed in the categories of Best Director and Best Actress for their work on the Barbie movie. The hot pink post and “#HillaryBarbie” quickly became a meme, adding to the already massive media frenzy surrounding the controversy.  

The post sparked backlash, with critics pointing out the hypocrisy of the former Secretary of State’s choice to immediately condemn the Motion Picture Academy over more urgent feminist causes receiving less attention.

For the commenters, Clinton taking a stance for the women in Hollywood was not the issue. Rather, seeing the scale of influence her statement had in garnering public discourse reminded them of her voice’s tremendous impact. Given that humanitarian crises disproportionately affect women, and Clinton has claimed devotion to such topics throughout her decades-long political career, she has neglected to properly call attention to the plethora of women’s rights concerns amidst many of the ongoing global crises, particularly in Gaza.

Though not as widely reaching as social media posts, in her Nov. 14 Op-Ed, “Hamas Must Go,” Clinton called attention to the atrocious accounts of rape committed by Hamas on Oct. 7; she further addressed the “alarming epidemic of gender-based violence (GBV) as a weapon of war” at a Feb. 9 conference hosted by Columbia University’s Institute of Global Politics and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. By mentioning the wide range of ways women and girls specifically suffer during global challenges, including but not limited to conflict-related sexual violence, but only calling out one side — “It is outrageous that some who claim to stand for justice are closing their eyes and their hearts to the victims of Hamas” — Clinton is contributing to a narrative of divisive empathy. Since violations of women’s rights are universal, so must be our empathy, advocacy and outrage.

In alignment with Wellesley’s core value that gender equality is “foundational to societal progress” we, the Wellesley News Editorial Board, call on our alums and administration to acknowledge and advocate for the largely unaddressed and ongoing women’s rights concerns in Gaza, Sudan, the Congo and other conflict zones right now. 

The devastation of these crises has a much broader impact than solely gender-based issues. The institutional and human loss is incalculable. However, in each of these regions, women are among the most vulnerable to the harms caused. The existing symptoms of war exacerbate gender inequality, most visibly through a rise in gender-based violence, increased economic strife, rapidly declining well-being, lack of medical resources and decreased access to education.

According to the Global Humanitarian Overview of 2021, at least “70% of women experience GBV in humanitarian contexts.” Overall heightened tensions within a region, increased instability, the chaos of mass displacement and lack of protection and safe havens all lead to more violence against women. Right now, women in Gaza seeking support after experiencing an attack or domestic violence have nowhere to turn because the territory’s only two women’s shelters, both in Gaza City, have been forced into closure due to the destruction and evacuations, as reported by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Furthermore, due to the electricity and telecommunication blackouts, the shelters cannot even provide services remotely, despite the increased need for such services.

In addition to facing increased violence, women are also disproportionately burdened financially. Because of patriarchal customs, women, especially in regions with a history of instability, are far less likely to be the breadwinners for their families; however, during and after humanitarian conflicts, the number of female-headed households rises dramatically. For example, according to a January 2024 UN report, approximately 85% of laborers in the Gaza Strip have been out of work since the war, and the “small number of women in Gaza who had an income before the crisis, has only gotten smaller,” while the number of women-headed households surged by 3,000 within the first six weeks. After losing a breadwinner, single mothers are suddenly forced into extremely difficult situations to provide for their families. Often, they are taken advantage of, for example, through sexual exploitation or exchanging hours of manual labor for a vastly unlivable wage. Feeding a family can become nearly impossible with the lack of opportunities for women to generate income compounded by food shortages. 

During a conflict and food shortage, women and girls deprioritize their nutritional needs in favor of their male family members, causing systemic malnourishment and creating entire generations of girls who have higher levels of health risks. The data reveals an even more grave prediction for pregnant women and new mothers since their malnutrition poses a threat to both themselves and their babies. From menstrual products to lifesaving drugs, blockades and shortages prevent women and girls from getting the care they need at higher rates than men. The UNFPA estimates that “5,500 women are expected to give birth in Gaza in the next month, of whom 840 are likely to experience pregnancy or birth-related complications.” They require additional medical care that is not available, according to the WHO’s report in late January that fewer than a third of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain open. On top of that, the enduring hospitals are overcrowded, running out of fuel, supplies and “minimally functioning.” Demonstrating the state of maternal healthcare, as described in an article from Doctors Without Borders, one grieving mother in northern Gaza recounted how she was told there were no available delivery rooms; she had no choice, so she left, later attempting to birth her son, alone, in the latrines closest to her tents. This woman’s experience is not singular.

In addition to higher health risks and fear of violence, girls living in conflict zones are also systemically disadvantaged in education. A 2015 UNESCO study found that adolescent girls living through a conflict are 90% more likely to be out of school. That same report also highlighted the dangers for girls who are enrolled in school while conflict is ongoing, citing examples such as the targeting of girls’ schools during the Afghanistan war and the kidnapping of 200 Nigerian schoolgirls in April 2014.

The tragedy of the lack of education available to girls in Gaza is even more stark since education is a fundamental tenet of Palestinian culture, as evidenced by Palestinians having some of the highest literacy rates in the world. The Israeli government’s destruction of 280 government-run schools, 65 UNRWA schools, and 12 higher education institutions in Gaza has drastically limited employment opportunities for its young population. A seventeen-year-old girl from Beit Lahiya describes her experience, saying, “I was always an A+ student in my school … What else is there to do in Gaza for a girl?! Now, I am just sitting around … I am afraid that, with time, my parents will use the pretext of the overall insecurity and the closure of schools, as well as our status as strangers in the community, to have me married.” The lack of education for girls widens gender disparities even further for generations down the line.

Women being forced to forfeit their intellectual endeavors serves as a barrier to progress. As former Secretary Clinton has mentioned countless times, it has been extensively studied and shown that having women in political and humanitarian leadership roles aids in conflict resolution and peace processes and education is integral to getting women into those positions. At Wellesley, this notion is enshrined in the foundation of our institution. At the center of our mission is the understanding that educating women changes the world. In remembering our mission, motto and values, we implore Wellesley students, faculty, administration and alums alike, to call attention to the infringements on women’s rights around the world.