UN Women has warned that funding cuts are crippling frontline organisations working to stop violence against women and girls.
In a new report titled At Risk and Underfunded, based on a global survey of 428 women’s rights and civil society groups, the agency found that one in three organisations has suspended or shut down programmes addressing gender-based violence. Over 40% have scaled back shelters, legal aid, and psychosocial or healthcare services due to immediate funding shortfalls.
Nearly 80% of respondents reported reduced access to survivor services, and 59% said impunity and the normalisation of violence are growing. “Women’s rights organisations are the backbone of progress, yet they are being pushed to the brink,” said Kalliopi Mingeirou, head of UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls section. She urged governments and donors to protect and expand funding to prevent decades of progress from being lost.
Violence against women remains one of the most widespread human rights abuses, affecting 736 million women globally—nearly one in three. Only 5% of surveyed organisations said they could operate beyond two years under current funding, and 85% foresee major setbacks to legal protections.
The report also highlights a broader backlash against women’s rights in one in four countries. As resources shrink, many groups are forced to prioritise emergency care over long-term advocacy, threatening sustainable progress.
The findings come as the world marks 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a milestone in the fight for gender equality.
