View previous stories
	Violence against women the world’s most persistent and under-addressed human rights crises by WHO, UN Women, UNFPA, agencies   19 Nov. 2025   Violence against women remains one of the world’s most persistent and under-addressed human rights crises, with very little progress in two decades, according to a landmark report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN partners.   Nearly 1 in 3 women ​– estimated 840 million globally – have experienced partner or sexual violence during their lifetime, a figure that has barely changed since 2000.   In the last 12 months alone, 316 million women – 11% of those aged 15 or older – were subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. Progress on reducing intimate partner violence has been painfully slow with only 0.2% annual decline over the past two decades.   For the first time, the report includes national and regional estimates of sexual violence by someone other than a partner. It finds 263 million women have experienced non-partner sexual violence since age 15, a figure experts caution is significantly under-reported due to stigma and fear.   "Violence against women is one of humanity’s oldest and most pervasive injustices, yet still one of the least acted upon," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "No society can call itself fair, safe or healthy while half its population lives in fear. Ending this violence is not only a matter of policy; it is a matter of dignity, equality and human rights. Behind every statistic is a woman or girl whose life has been forever altered. Empowering women and girls is not optional, it's a prerequisite for peace, development and health. A safer world for women is a better world for everyone."   The new report, released ahead of the International day for the elimination of violence against women and girls observed on 25 November, represents the most comprehensive study on the prevalence of these two forms of violence against women. It updates 2018 estimates released in 2021. It analyses data between 2000 and 2023 from 168 countries, revealing a stark picture of a deeply neglected crisis and critically underfunded response.   Despite mounting evidence on effective strategies to prevent violence against women, the report warns that funding for such initiatives is collapsing – just as when humanitarian emergencies, technological shifts, and rising socio-economic inequality are further increasing risks for millions of women and girls.   For instance, in 2022, only 0.2% of the global development aid was allocated to programmes focused on prevention of violence against women, and funding has further fallen in 2025.   Women subjected to violence face unintended pregnancies, a higher risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections and experiencing depression. Sexual and reproductive health services are an important entry point for survivors to receive the high-quality care they need.   The report underscores the reality that violence against women begins early and risks persist throughout life. For example, in the past 12 months alone, 12.5 million adolescent girls 15-19 years of age or 16% have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner.   While violence occurs in every country, women in least-developed, conflict-affected, and climate-vulnerable settings are disproportionately affected. For example, Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) reports 38% prevalence of intimate partner violence in the past year – more than 3 times the global average of 11%.   To accelerate global progress and deliver meaningful change for the lives of affected women and girls, the report calls for decisive government action and funding to:   Scale up evidence-based prevention programmes; Strengthen survivor-centred health, legal and social services; Invest in data systems to track progress and reach the most at-risk groups; Enforce laws and policies empowering women and girls.   The report is accompanied by the launch of the second edition of the RESPECT Women: preventing violence against women framework, offering updated guidance for violence prevention, including for humanitarian contexts.   There can be no more silence or inaction. We need leaders to commit and act towards ending violence against women and girls now.   ​"Violence against women inflicts deep and lasting harm that affects their lives, health and dignity. For many, violence is compounded by discrimination based on poverty, disability and other factors, exposing them to even higher risk. The devastating cycle of abuse often ripples through families and communities and across generations. The data paint a grim picture of the toll of inaction. This must change now. We must act urgently together to end this violence and ensure that every woman and girl, in all her diversity, can exercise her rights, realize her potential and contribute fully to more just, equal and prosperous societies.” Diene Keita, Executive Director, UNFPA   "Ending violence against women and girls requires courage, commitment, and collective action. Advancing gender equality is how we build a more equal, safer world for everyone, where every woman and every girl can live a life free from violence.” Dr Sima Bahous, Executive Director, UN Women   “The data shows that many women first experience violence from a partner when they are adolescents. And many children grow up watching their mothers being pushed, hit or humiliated, with violence a part of daily life. The key is to break this pattern of violence against women and girls.” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell   http://www.unfpa.org/press/lifetime-toll-840-million-women-faced-partner-or-sexual-violence http://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240116962 http://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240117020 http://respect-prevent-vaw.org/ http://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/take-action-10-ways-you-can-help-end-violence-against-women http://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/faqs/faqs-the-signs-of-relationship-abuse-and-how-to-help   http://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/16-days-of-activism http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2025/12/tipping-point-the-chilling-escalation-of-violence-against-women-in-the-public-sphere-in-the-age-of-ai http://www.unfpa.org/16days http://www.unfpa.org/thevirtualisreal http://www.unfpa.org/bodyright http://africarenewal.un.org/en/magazine/online-abuse-real-violence-and-africas-women-and-girls-are-paying-price http://www.unfpa.org/TFGBV http://www.unfpa.org/gender-based-violence http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1q/k1qtfqmptt http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/childrens-exposure-intimate-partner-violence-against-their-mothers-pervasive   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164531 http://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/faqs/digital-abuse-trolling-stalking-and-other-forms-of-technology-facilitated-violence-against-women http://www.savethechildren.net/news/finland-one-three-girls-facing-sexual-abuse-online-messages-often-becoming-sexual-under-hour http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2024/10/intensification-of-efforts-to-eliminate-all-forms-of-violence-against-women-report-of-the-secretary-general-2024 http://blog.witness.org/2025/03/technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence   http://carnegieendowment.org/research/2025/06/the-new-global-struggle-over-gender-rights-and-family-values http://www.ids.ac.uk/news/podcast-strategies-for-countering-gender-backlash http://www.unrisd.org/en/activities/news-items/unrisd-puts-gender-backlash-in-the-spotlight-at-international-gender-champions-biannual-meeting http://www.unrisd.org/en/library/publications/understanding-backlash-against-gender-equality-evidence-trends-and-policy-responses   http://equalmeasures2030.org/2024-sdg-gender-index http://www.unicef.org/adolescent-girls-rights http://www.helpage.org/news/social-protection-can-transform-lives-of-older-women/ http://www.unfpa.org/emergencies http://www.unfpa.org/news/explainer-why-investing-women-and-girls-benefits-everyone http://gi-escr.org/en/resources/publications/a-care-led-transition-to-a-sustainable-future http://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/health/cash-transfer-kenya-poverty.html http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/07/14/standing-firm-on-womens-right-to-live-free-of-violence   Oct. 2025   One in three organizations have suspended or shut down programmes on ending violence against women due to funding cuts. (UN Women)   More than a third of organizations surveyed, 34 per cent, have suspended or shut down programmes to end violence against women and girls and more than 40 per cent have scaled back or closed life-saving services such as shelters, legal aid, psychosocial and healthcare support due to immediate funding gaps. 78 per cent reported reduced access to essential services for survivors, while 59 per cent perceived an increase in impunity and normalization of violence. Almost one in four said they had to suspend or completely halt interventions designed to prevent violence before it occurs.   “Women’s rights organizations are the backbone of progress on violence against women, yet they are being pushed to the brink. 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”, said Kalliopi Mingeirou, Chief of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls section, UN Women.   Violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread human rights violations worldwide. An estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have experienced physical or sexual violence, most often at the hands of an intimate partner.   Earlier this year, UN Women warned that most women-led organizations in crisis settings were facing severe funding cuts, with nearly half at risk of closure—a warning now echoed in the findings of At Risk and Underfunded.   The report’s findings also highlight that only five per cent of organizations anticipate being able to sustain operations for two years or longer. 85 per cent predict severe backsliding in laws and protections for women and girls, and 57 per cent report serious concerns about rising risks for women human rights defenders.   Funding shortfalls are happening alongside a growing backlash against women’s rights in one in four countries. As organizations lose funding, many are forced to focus only on basic services instead of long-term advocacy that drives real change.   At Risk and Underfunded comes as the world marks 30 years since the Beijing declaration and platform for action, a progressive roadmap agreed by Governments to achieve gender equality and women’s rights, that had ending violence against women at its heart.   http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/10/one-in-three-organizations-have-suspended-or-shut-down-programmes-on-ending-violence-against-women-due-to-funding-cuts
	395 million people across 23 countries exposed to protection risks by Protection Cluster, High Commissioner for Refugees   Global Protection Update: October 2025   As of October 2025, Protection Clusters estimate that 395 million people across 23 countries are exposed to protection risks. These risks include direct threats to life from violence, coercion, and deliberate deprivation.   Across operations, the main protection risks reported are attacks on civilians, abductions and movement restrictions, alongside gender-based violence, denial of services, lack of legal identity, and psychosocial distress.   The convergence of these risks, coupled with the erosion of protective environments, has created an unprecedented global protection crisis, challenging both humanitarian response and political accountability.   Countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt - Gaza & West Bank), Sudan, and Ukraine face the most extreme situations, where populations experience overlapping patterns of violence, exclusion, and deprivation.   Since January 2025, conflict dynamics have intensified as a major driver of protection risks. In Gaza, the humanitarian crisis deepened, culminating in a famine declaration, while in the DRC, violence escalated across North and South Kivu, displacing over a million people in just weeks, adding to nearly 6.4 million IDPs. Sudan continues to face severe threats, particularly in El Fasher and the Zamzam IDP camp, where civilians are exposed to ongoing attacks, siege and displacement.   Rising violence in Mozambique (Cabo Delgado), Haiti, and Colombia (Catatumbo) has further exacerbated vulnerabilities, while fragile institutions and economic collapse compound risks in protracted and forgotten crises in Cameroon, Chad, and the Sahel.   Climate shocks exacerbate the effects of protection risks on people’s life and continue to aggravate protection needs, with earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan displacing communities and heightening vulnerability, and floods in Nigeria and Venezuela disrupting access to essential services. Displacement, family separation, and loss of property are widespread, leaving communities highly exposed to harm.   The situational analysis, presented in this report, conducted at sub-national level is essential to identify specific geographic areas where violence, coercion and deliberate deprivation are not only acute and harmful but also at high risk of further escalation. Prioritizing these hotspots is critical to prevent further deterioration, curb the emergence of new protection risks, and respond to the compounding humanitarian needs they generate.   While most humanitarian crises are fundamentally protection crises, driven by violations of international law and patterns of abuse and violence, the current humanitarian response is constrained by increasing funding restrictions and access limitations, driving to significant service gaps and limited capacity to meet urgent needs across sectors.   Protection operations have been severely disrupted, with the scaling back or suspension of critical protection services, community-led interventions and early-warning/prevention mechanisms.   In June 2025, OCHA launched a hyper-prioritized humanitarian response plan to address the most urgent, life-saving needs in acute crises. Thanks to robust advocacy at country and global level, protection was integrated into these hyper-prioritized response plans, alongside the delivery of life-saving assistance.   Through this process, the Protection Cluster identified 24.7 million people as most urgently in need of assistance and protection. Yet, this represents just 14,7% of the 168 million people in need of protection globally – leaving 143,3 million people unassisted.   Meeting the prioritized protection needs alone requires US $1,2 billion. As of 31 August 2025, however, the Protection Cluster is only funded at 23% out of the initial US $3.2 billion requested, leaving a severe funding gap at a time of escalating risks and needs.   In this context, it is essential to position protection as a central pillar of humanitarian action, ensuring that violations are addressed, risks are mitigated, and life-saving assistance is delivered in ways that preserve the safety and dignity of affected populations.   http://globalprotectioncluster.org/index.php/publications/2347/reports/global-protection-update/global-protection-update-protection-prioritised http://globalprotectioncluster.org/index.php/publications/2393/communication-materials/advocacy-note/high-level-humanitarian-donors-briefing http://reliefweb.int/report/world/high-level-humanitarian-donors-briefing-note-state-protection-2025   676 million women live within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict. (UN Women)   The world is experiencing the highest number of active conflicts since 1946, creating unprecedented risks and suffering for women and girls.   The 2025 UN Secretary-General’s report on Women, Peace and Security warns that 676 million women now live within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict, the highest level since the 1990s. Civilian casualties among women and children quadrupled compared to the previous two-year period, and conflict-related sexual violence increased by 87 per cent in two years.   Issued on the 25th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325, which committed the international community to women’s full participation and protection in peace and security, the report warns that two decades of progress are unraveling.   “Women and girls are being killed in record numbers, shut out of peace tables, and left unprotected as wars multiply. Women do not need more promises, they need power, protection, and equal participation”, said Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director.   Despite overwhelming evidence that women’s participation makes peace more durable, women remain largely excluded from decision-making. While an increasing number of countries have developed national action plans to implement resolution 1325, this has not always resulted in tangible change for women. In 2024, 9 out of 10 peace processes had no women negotiators, with women making up just 7 per cent of negotiators and 14 per cent of mediators globally.   The report also exposes a dangerous imbalance: while global military spending surpassed USD 2.7 trillion in 2024, women’s organizations in conflict zones received only 0.4 per cent of aid. Many front-line women’s groups are facing imminent closure due to financial constraints.   “These are not isolated data points, they are symptoms of a world that is choosing to invest in war instead of peace, and one that continues to exclude women from shaping solutions”, continued Bahous.   The report underscores the urgent need for a gender data revolution. Without disaggregated data, women’s realities in war zones remain invisible and unaccounted for. Closing these gaps is vital for accountability and for placing women’s experiences at the centre of decision-making.   “UN Women is calling for concrete, measurable results: conflicts resolved through inclusive political solutions, more women leading security reforms and recovery efforts, and greater accountability for violations, including access to justice and reparations for survivors”, concluded Bahous.   http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/10/wars-on-women-escalate-as-global-conflicts-reach-record-highs   Conflict plunged 63 million children into hunger in 2025. (Save the Children)   Of the around 118 million children plunged into hunger so far in 2025, around 63 million – over half - were forced into this situation by conflict as opposed to drought or environmental or economic pressures, according to a new data analysis by Save the Children on World Food Day.   Save the Children analysed data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world’s leading authority on hunger monitoring, and found that conflict was a driving cause for the more severe forms of hunger in children in 2025.   Of the 18 million children pushed into emergency levels of hunger in over 35 crises (IPC level 4+), 11 million, or over six in ten (61%), were in countries where conflict is the main driver of hunger, highlighting the role of violence and war in the world’s worst food crises.   Globally, one in six children live in an area affected by conflict – compared to around 10% a decade ago. Conflict remains the main driver of hunger worldwide and has a devastating impact on people’s ability to grow or buy food, forces families from their homes and destroys farmland and infrastructure. In some of the worst cases, starvation is used as a method of warfare.   In Sudan and Gaza, conflict - coupled with severely restricted access and denials of aid - triggered famine classifications in 2024 and 2025 respectively, forcing children into the most extreme forms of hunger. Over half a million people in Gaza, and 638,000 people in Sudan - half of which are children in both places - face catastrophic hunger and a heightened risk of death, while around half a million more children in Gaza and 3.8 million in Sudan were found to be just one step away from catastrophe.   Hannah Stephenson, Save the Children’s head of advocacy for hunger and nutrition said:   “2025 has been a devastating year for the children living in the world’s worst conflict zones, with conflict pushing over 60 million children into hunger, including over 11 million who face emergency levels of hunger that necessitate desperate survival measures to stave off the risk of death.   “In the twenty-first century, famine is manmade and preventable. No child should die because of hunger or malnutrition today. Without enough food or the right nutrition. The international community has the power to stop hunger crises by seeking an end to the conflicts that drive them, fiercely protecting and investing in the first 1,000 days of life where action can make all the difference, and building more resilient food and health systems. Ending hunger requires urgent political solutions to resolve these conflicts and guarantee unrestricted humanitarian access.”   http://www.savethechildren.net/news/conflict-plunged-63-million-children-hunger-2025   The Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) has released the Protection of Civilians Trends Report and Civilian Protection Index, which documents the experiences of civilians living through conflict and extreme violence in 2024. The report reveals a continued and alarming deterioration in the global protection environment.   “By nearly every measure or issue we considered, civilians fared worse in 2024 than 2023,” said Lauren Spink, CIVIC’s Senior Research Advisor and lead on the project. “Civilian casualties, sexual violence, forced displacement, attacks on children and healthcare all increased in 2024, leaving civilians in many countries in desperate situations.”   Drawing on data, expert analysis, and civil society perspectives, the report sheds light on the ways civilians have been affected not only by direct attacks, but also the reverberating effects of conflict, such as loss of access to school for children and livelihoods for adults.   “Civilians are facing growing and intersecting threats —from the expanded use of drones and automated weapons systems without adequate safeguards to the spread of disinformation and the effects of climate change,” said Spink. “States and international organizations must act now to adapt their policies and tools to these evolving realities.”   The Civilian Protection Index, developed in collaboration with the Institute for Economics and Peace, assesses protection conditions across 163 countries using 15 indicators. These include measures of direct violence—such as civilian casualties and sexual violence—alongside other elements of a protective environment, such as trust in security forces and the quality of civic space.   CIVIC’s Executive Director, Hichem Khadhraoui, underscored the urgency of the findings: “This report is both a warning and a call to action,” said Khadhraoui.“The data shows civilians are bearing the brunt of today’s conflicts, but it also highlights where change is possible. States, armed actors, and international partners must recommit to protecting civilians—not in words, but through practical, sustained action.”   http://www.civilianprotectiontrends.org/ http://reliefweb.int/report/world/civics-2024-trends-report-finds-global-civilian-protection-sharp-decline Visit the related web page
	View more stories