Budget cuts are dismantling grassroots organizations fighting violence against women and girls, the United Nations agency for gender equality warned on Monday.
A new UN Women report, titled At Risk and Underfunded, based on a global survey of 428 women’s rights and civil society organizations, reveals that one in three groups has suspended or closed its programs aimed at ending gender-based violence.
More than 40% have reduced or shut down essential services such as shelters, legal aid, psychosocial support, and healthcare due to immediate budget shortfalls.
Survivors Left Behind
Nearly 80% reported reduced access to services for survivors of violence, while 59% said that impunity and the normalization of violence are on the rise.
“Women’s rights organizations are at the heart of progress in the fight against violence toward women, but they are being pushed to the brink,” said Kalliopi Mingeirou, Chief of UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Section.
“We cannot allow budget cuts to erase decades of hard-won progress. We call on governments and donors to secure, increase, and make funding more flexible. Without sustained investment, violence against women and girls will only continue to rise.”
Violence against women remains one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world.
According to UN Women data, around 736 million women — nearly one in three — have experienced physical or sexual violence, most often at the hands of an intimate partner.
Earlier this year, the agency had already warned that many women-led organizations in crisis situations were on the verge of shutting down — a concern now reinforced by Monday’s report.
A Grim Outlook
Only 5% of surveyed organizations said they could continue operating for more than two years, while 85% predicted major setbacks in laws and protections for women and girls. More than half also voiced deep concern about the growing threats faced by women human rights defenders.
The report warns that these financial shortfalls are occurring amid a widespread rollback of women’s rights, now evident in one out of every four countries. As funding dwindles, many groups are forced to prioritize emergency services over long-term advocacy — the driving force behind systemic change.
The report comes as the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark plan for gender equality that placed the fight against violence toward women at its core.
Source : NATIONS Info
