A/81/133 E. Women in conflict and crisis settings 43. Older women in conflict and crisis settings suffer from restrictions on the entry of assistive devices, including wheelchairs and materials needed for prosthetic, orthotic and hearing aids, classified as “dual-use”. 120 They may also be denied humanitarian assistance, because they do not meet the criterion of a “nuclear family”. 121 They may also experience difficulties in providing official documents necessary to accessing services and remedies. 122 44. Standing in long queues for food, water or medical supplies is particularly exhausting for older women. They may be sexually assaulted while carrying out essential survival activities, such as collecting food, water or firewood. 123 Their age does not spare them from being exposed to sexual exploitation 124 and humiliation, as documented in Tigray, Ethiopia, 125 and in the Sudan. 126 45. Siege tactics involving deprivation of food, water and medical care result in deaths from malnutrition, especially among older persons. 127 Older women also face a disproportionate risk of death during armed conflict, such as in Ukraine. 128 46. Older women in conflict situations can be specifically targeted and killed, as was the case in the genocide by Da’esh against Yazidis in Iraq. 129 They may be unable to escape as rapidly as others to find safety or hear and react to evacuation orders and sounds, as is the case in Gaza. 130 They may also be abducted, as was the case on 7 October 2023, where 13% 131 of those taken hostage by Palestinian armed groups were older than 65. F. Rural women 47. Older women living in rural and remote areas are among those most exposed to violence and the least likely to receive protection or support. Their vulnerability is shaped by the intersection of age, sex, poverty and geographical isolation, as well as entrenched patriarchal norms that often concentrate landownership, productive assets and financial decision-making in the hands of men, increasing risks of econom ic exploitation and dispossession. Rural working women might experience early health deterioration due to heavy physical strain and exposure to heat, while also being socially devalued for becoming weaker. 132 Climate change, environmental degradation and humanitarian crises further intensify these vulnerabilities. 133 Social isolation, __________________ 120 See https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/situation_of_older_persons_in_ gaza_f.pdf. 121 Submission by Medical Aid for Palestinians. 122 Submission by the Committee for Justice. 123 See https://scienceportal.msf.org/assets/differences-sexual-violence-against-younger-olderadults-complex-humanitarian-settings-retrospective-analysis-m%C3%A9decins-sansfronti%C3%A8res-2019-24. 124 See https://www.hrw.org/report/2022/02/23/no-one-spared/abuses-against-older-people-armedconflict. 125 See https://citghub.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/War-Induced-Genocidal-Sexual-andGender-Based-Violence-in-Tigray-Vol-1-1-4.pdf, p. 28. 126 See https://sihanet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SIHA-More-Than-Numbers-ReportFinal.pdf. 127 Submission by Just Access. 128 See https://www.helpage.org/news/millions-of-older-ukrainians-continue-to-suffer-after-threeyears-of-war/. 129 A/HRC/32/CRP.2, para. 48. 130 See communication ISR 18/2024. 131 See https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11524421/. 132 Expert consultations. 133 Submission by Raphael Maurel. 12/26 26-09992