Gender inequality, violence against women, accelerate global antibiotic resistance crisis – health experts

AKOR SYLVESTER, Abuja

Health experts have declared that gender inequality, violence against women, and limited access to healthcare are accelerating the global crisis of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

The experts also hinted that the fight against drug-resistant infections cannot succeed without addressing deep-rooted social and gender disparities.

The warning came during an AMR Dialogues session, where global health specialists argued that women and girls face disproportionate risks of infections and inappropriate antibiotic use due to social norms, stigma and limited healthcare access.

The health experts stated that antimicrobial resistance, caused largely by misuse and overuse of medicines in human health, livestock, and agriculture, has become a major global health threat, but its gender dimensions remain largely overlooked in policies and national action plans.

Former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Soumya Swaminathan, said violence against women and restricted healthcare access significantly increase women’s vulnerability to drug-resistant infections.

Swaminathan noted that women facing intimate partner violence often suffer injuries and infections but are less likely to seek timely care, leading to delayed treatment and inappropriate antibiotic use.

 She said, “Women are at a very high risk of intimate partner violence or domestic violence.