Beyond Victimhood: Women as Agents of Change in Humanitarian Crises

This article challenges the dominant narrative portraying women in humanitarian crises and armed conflicts as passive victims. While acknowledging the gendered vulnerabilities women face—such as displacement, gender-based violence, and loss of livelihoods—the article foregrounds women's roles as active agents of change who contribute meaningfully to recovery, resilience, and peacebuilding. Drawing on case studies from Liberia, Colombia, Ukraine, South Sudan, Syria, and Bangladesh, the article highlights how women lead informal economies, initiate grassroots support networks, and rebuild essential social services where formal structures have collapsed. Women are shown to be central to sustaining education, healthcare, and psychosocial support while also serving as intergenerational caregivers and peacebuilders. Through these, cohesion and inclusive, adaptive systems that are critical to long-term recovery are developed. The article argues for a shift in humanitarian discourse and practice: from one that sees women primarily as aid recipients to one that supports and funds their leadership. It concludes by advocating for gender-transformative approaches in policy and humanitarian response, emphasizing that recognizing women's agency is a matter of justice and essential to effective crisis recovery.