Funding Cuts Suspend One-Third Global Women's Violence Programs

A new UN Women report titled "At Risk and Underfunded," based on a global survey of 428 women's rights and civil society groups, reveals that one in three organizations have suspended or shut down programs aimed at ending gender-based violence due to significant funding cuts. More than 40% of these groups have scaled back or closed essential services such as shelters, legal aid, psychosocial, and healthcare support, leading to reduced access for survivors. Nearly 80% of respondents reported diminished services, while 59% noted an increase in impunity and normalization of violence against women. The report also highlights that only 5% of these organizations expect to sustain operations beyond two years, with 85% predicting severe setbacks in laws and protections for women and girls, amid a rising backlash against women's rights evident in one in four countries. UN Women calls on governments and donors to ringfence, expand, and make funding more flexible to prevent the erosion of decades of progress and to combat the increasing violence against women and girls. The report underscores the critical role women's rights organizations play as the backbone of progress on this issue and warns that without sustained investment, the situation will deteriorate further.