SGBV stands for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. This means any harmful act done to a person because of their gender. SGBV affects millions of women and girls around the world. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, and emotional harm.
The Current SGBV Crisis
A new report from UN Women shows that organizations fighting SGBV are facing serious problems. These groups help women and girls who experience violence. However, many of these organizations are running out of money. The report is called “At Risk and Underfunded.”
UN Women asked 428 organizations that work on women’s rights to share their experiences. The answers showed a very difficult situation. These organizations protect women from SGBV every day. Now they cannot do their work properly because they do not have enough funding.
How Funding Cuts Affect SGBV Services
When organizations lose funding, they cannot help as many people. The UN Women report found several alarming facts about SGBV services.
Thirty-four percent of organizations had to stop or close their programs that fight gender-based violence. This means one out of every three groups can no longer do their full work. These programs teach communities about SGBV and help stop violence before it happens.
More than forty percent of organizations had to reduce or completely stop important services. These services include safe shelters where women can stay when they escape violence. They also include legal help and medical care. Without these services, women facing SGBV have nowhere to turn for help.
Seventy-eight percent of organizations said that survivors now have less access to the help they need. When funding gets cut, fewer women can get support after experiencing SGBV. This leaves many survivors alone and without protection.
Fifty-nine percent of organizations noticed that violence is becoming more normal in their communities. When SGBV programs shut down, people forget how serious violence is. Perpetrators face fewer consequences for their actions.
Nearly one in four organizations had to stop all prevention work. Prevention programs teach people about respect and equality. They help stop SGBV before it happens. Without these programs, more violence will occur in the future.
Why SGBV Organizations Matter
Women’s rights organizations form the foundation of all work against SGBV. These groups understand their communities. They know how to reach women who need help. They also work to change laws and attitudes that allow violence to continue.
Kalliopi Mingeirou works as the Chief of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Section at UN Women. She explained that these organizations are being pushed to the breaking point. Mingeirou warned that funding cuts could erase decades of progress. Without steady financial support, SGBV will increase rather than decrease.
The Global Scale of SGBV
SGBV remains one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world. The numbers are shocking and show how urgent this problem is.
UN Women estimates that 736 million women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. This means almost one in three women worldwide has faced SGBV. Many of these women were hurt by someone they knew, often an intimate partner.
The report also revealed that only five percent of surveyed organizations expect to continue operating for more than two years. This means most SGBV organizations will close soon unless they receive more funding. When these organizations disappear, millions of women will lose access to life-saving help.
SGBV in Crisis Zones
Earlier this year, UN Women warned that nearly half of women-led organizations in crisis zones were at risk of closure. Crisis zones include areas affected by war, natural disasters, or extreme poverty. In these places, SGBV often increases because normal systems break down.
The new report confirms these earlier warnings. Organizations working in the most dangerous places are struggling the most. Yet these are the exact locations where women need protection from SGBV the most urgently.
The Rollback on Women’s Rights
The SGBV crisis is happening at the same time as a global rollback on women’s rights. In one out of every four countries, people are pushing back against progress for women and girls. This backlash makes the work of SGBV organizations even more important.
However, funding losses are forcing many organizations to change their priorities. Instead of working on long-term solutions to SGBV, they must focus only on immediate survival. Instead of advocating for better laws, they can only provide basic services to a few people. This shift means that SGBV will continue to be a problem for many more years.
Future Threats to SGBV Progress
The report found that eighty-five percent of organizations expect to see significant backsliding in legal protections for women and girls. Legal protections are laws that punish SGBV and protect survivors. When these laws weaken or disappear, violence increases.
Fifty-seven percent of organizations expressed concern about increased risks faced by women human rights defenders. These are the brave people who speak out against SGBV. They face threats, harassment, and violence for their work. Without protection, fewer people will be willing to fight against SGBV.
Thirty Years Since Beijing Declaration
The findings come as the world marks 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This important document was created in 1995. It outlined a plan for achieving gender equality worldwide. Ending violence against women, including SGBV, was at the center of this plan.
Three decades later, the progress made since Beijing is now at risk. The funding crisis threatens to undo 30 years of hard work. Communities that once had strong SGBV services may soon have none at all.
What Must Happen to Address SGBV
UN Women has issued an urgent call to governments and international donors. To stop the SGBV crisis from getting worse, several actions must happen immediately.
Governments must ringfence funding for SGBV programs. Ringfencing means protecting money so it cannot be taken away or used for other purposes. SGBV organizations need guaranteed funding they can count on.
Donors must expand the amount of money given to fight SGBV. Current funding levels are not enough. Organizations need more resources to reach all the women and girls who need help.
Funding must become more flexible. Right now, many donors only give money for specific activities. Organizations need the freedom to use funds where they are needed most. This flexibility allows them to respond quickly when new SGBV cases arise.
Without urgent action, the progress of the past three decades could be completely undone. More women and girls will experience SGBV. Fewer survivors will receive the help they need to heal and rebuild their lives.
Understanding the Impact of SGBV
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence creates lasting harm that affects individuals, families, and entire communities. Women who survive SGBV often struggle with physical injuries, emotional trauma, and economic hardship. Children who witness SGBV in their homes may experience developmental problems and repeat violent patterns when they grow up.
When SGBV organizations lose funding and close their programs, this harm spreads further. Communities lose safe spaces where women can seek help. Legal systems lose the advocates who push for justice. Future generations lose the education programs that teach respect and equality.
The current funding crisis represents a critical moment in the fight against SGBV. The decisions made today will determine whether progress continues or whether violence against women and girls increases in the coming years.
Conclusion
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence remains a serious global problem that requires immediate attention and sustained funding. Organizations fighting SGBV need support to continue their life-saving work. Without this support, millions of women and girls will face increased danger and have nowhere to turn for help. To learn more about gender issues and supporting survivors of SGBV, visit genderpedia.ng/shop for educational resources and information.
