Thank you for that important question, Ms. Vandenbeld.
The short answer to your question is, yes, women's rights have been backsliding. What we notice is that wherever human rights in general are backsliding, then inevitably women's rights also backslide, particularly in the context of armed conflict. We know that sexual and gender-based violence are a weapon of war, and wherever there are armed conflicts, we can assume there's a high likelihood that women's rights are being violated, particularly through sexual violence. With the increase in armed conflict that we're seeing globally, we are definitely noticing an increasing trend of violence towards women.
I would add that as authoritarianism advances, you have more challenges placed around democracy. At the same time, civil society organizations that advance women's rights also tend to be the most affected. I think all panellists have spoken about the risks that civil society faces in various countries; the large majority of names that you heard were male. What happens is that when those figures who normally enjoy a certain privilege because of their gender status are targeted, we can assume that women civil society leaders who are advancing this work are at even greater risk. We see that particularly in the African continent and I would say in the Americas where we have staggering numbers of femicides that are increasing across the region. We're seeing a large number of women human rights defenders who are advancing sexual and reproductive rights being on the run, and likewise for LGBTQIA+ defenders. The numbers that we keep seeing are really staggering, particularly in the Americas, especially in Mexico, where we have a really high rate of femicide.
I would say, yes, this is a trend. I think it's important that we constantly connect the two and understand that as rights are getting assaulted, then women's rights are definitely seeing a decrease as well. I would just add that we see the rise of a lot of far right movements as well as having direct repercussions on women's rights globally.