In conflict zones around the world, war is being waged on aid workers, healthcare facilities and personnel – with impunity. From midwives and doctors to ambulance drivers and first responders, life-saving aid and health workers are being killed, injured and detained while on duty. Some 1,000 healthcare workers have been killed in the past three years, while 350 aid workers were killed in 2025, the second-highest toll ever recorded.
Conflict zones are already high-risk environments for women and girls, with sexual violence all too often wielded as a weapon of war. Attacks on humanitarian and protection services and infrastructure strip survivors of even the most basic care, including post-rape treatment and psychosocial support. Violence against healthcare workers and facilities, including maternity wards, leave pregnant women with no access to skilled obstetric care, increasing the risk of childbirth becoming a life-threatening emergency.
Deliberate attacks on healthcare are a violation of international humanitarian law. Global leaders must prioritize the protection of aid workers, health facilities, health workers and the people they serve, take actions to stop attacks on humanitarian assistance and healthcare, and end impunity for perpetrators.
As we mark World Humanitarian Day, UNFPA is working to provide women and girls with life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare and gender-based violence prevention services around the world. You can learn more here.
