How war shapes women's lives

How war shapes women's lives

From The Conversation by BBC World Service

April 13, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode explores how war affects women's lives and their roles in peace processes through discussions with experts.

As war flares across the Middle East, and conflicts rage in other parts of the world, it is often said that women and girls are the hardest hit by war. But what does that actually mean in practice? What are the key statistics that tell us how conflicts impact women? And what role are women playing in peace processes too? Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women who look at how war shapes women’s lives. Idil Absiye is a policy advisor on Women, Peace and Security at the United Nations, and is based in Kenya. Dr Laura Muñoz-Encinar is an archaeologist and forensic anthropologist at the Spanish National Research Council. Her main focus is the Spanish Civil War, a conflict from almost a century ago that offers many lessons for today. Producer: Hannah Sander (Image: (L) Laura Muñoz-Encinar, credit Laura Muñoz-Encinar. (R) Idil Absiye, credit Idil Absiye.)

People in this episode

Host: Datshiane Navanayagam

Guests: Idil Absiye, Dr Laura Muñoz-Encinar

Topics covered

  • war
  • women's rights
  • peace processes
  • Middle East
  • impact of conflict
  • statistics on women

Keywords

  • war
  • women
  • peace
  • Middle East
  • conflict
  • statistics
  • Idil Absiye
  • Dr Laura Muñoz-Encinar

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United Nations, Spanish National Research Council

Places: Kenya

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