A new report by UN Women, titled At Risk and Underfunded, reveals that one in three women’s rights and civil society groups have been forced to suspend or shut down programmes combating gender-based violence.
Based on a global survey of 428 organisations, the report shows that over 40 per cent have scaled back or closed essential services such as shelters, legal aid, psychosocial and healthcare support due to immediate funding shortfalls.
Nearly 80% of respondents said survivors now face reduced access to crucial services, while 59% warned that impunity and the normalisation of violence are on the rise.
“Women’s rights organisations are the backbone of progress on violence against women, yet they are being pushed to the brink,” said Kalliopi Mingeirou, Head of UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Section.
“We cannot allow funding cuts to erase decades of hard-won gains. We call on governments and donors to ringfence, expand and make funding more flexible. Without sustained investment, violence against women and girls will only rise,” she said.
Violence against women remains one of the most widespread human rights violations globally. According to UN Women, around 736 million women, nearly one in three, have experienced physical or sexual violence, most often at the hands of an intimate partner.
The report also highlights that only five per cent of surveyed organisations believe they can sustain operations beyond two years, while 85% anticipate severe setbacks to legal protections for women and girls. Over half expressed deep concern about rising threats to women human rights defenders.
At Risk and Underfunded warns that these financial shortfalls come amid a growing backlash against women’s rights, now evident in one in four countries. As funding dries up, many groups are being forced to prioritise emergency services over long-term advocacy for systemic change.
The findings come as the world marks 30 years since the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a global blueprint for gender equality that placed ending violence against women at its core.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
