UNHCR warns of growing dangers for displaced women amid funding crisis
Legal aid programmes that used to provide justice to victims have been dismantled, allowing perpetrators to act without consequences.
Displaced women and girls face growing risks due to severe funding shortages, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned as the world marks International Women’s Day.
Reports of conflict-related sexual violence have increased by 50 per cent in recent years.
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However, funding gaps have forced humanitarian organisations to scale back critical services, leaving many vulnerable women and girls without protection.
Safe houses that once offered refuge to survivors facing immediate threats from traffickers and armed groups have been shut down.
Legal aid programmes that used to provide justice to victims have been dismantled, allowing perpetrators to act without consequences.
“Women and girls fleeing war deserve to find safety. Yet across the world, they are now at even greater risk of rape and other forms of horrific violence. Without immediate funding, more safe houses will close, more survivors will be turned away, and more women and girls will face violence with no medical and psychosocial support. It’s heartbreaking and unacceptable,” said Ruven Menikdiwela, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.
Spaces for women
The impact of the funding crisis is evident in several countries. In South Sudan, only 25 per cent of UNHCR’s designated spaces for women and girls at risk are still operating, leaving up to 80,000 people without essential services such as psychosocial support, legal aid, and medical assistance.
Over 2,000 adolescent girls are now more vulnerable to child marriage and other forms of violence due to program suspensions.
In Ethiopia, more than 200,000 refugees and internally displaced persons have lost access to life-saving services, including a safe house that once sheltered women facing immediate threats to their lives.
In Jordan, at least 63 programmes offering specialised support to women and girls have either shut down or been put on hold, leaving 200,000 people in both refugee and host communities without assistance.
For years, initiatives aimed at preventing and responding to violence against refugee and stateless women and girls have provided safety, legal help, medical care, and psychosocial support.
Despite being a lifeline for many, these services have suffered chronic underfunding, with only 38 per cent of the required funding secured in 2024. The current financial crisis threatens to bring this vital work to a halt.
On International Women’s Day, UNHCR is calling for sustained and increased investment in the safety, education, and economic empowerment of displaced women and girls.
The agency emphasised that they are not just survivors but also leaders and change makers who can drive lasting change if given the right support.
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