No woman is free while she lives in fear. Gender-based violence is not a private matter — it is a global human rights emergency that strips women and girls of safety, dignity, and the ability to live fully. True freedom cannot exist where half of humanity is unsafe in their own homes.

Did You Know?

• 1 in 3 women worldwide — approximately 736 million — have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime, most often at the hands of an intimate partner. This is not a regional exception — it occurs in every country, culture, and income level on earth. (WHO Global Estimates, 2021)
• Femicide — the deliberate killing of women because they are women — claims thousands of lives every year. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that approximately 89,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2022, with nearly half murdered by intimate partners or family members — making home the most dangerous place for far too many women. (UNODC Global Study on Homicide, 2023)
• Gender-based violence surges during crises. Conflict, displacement, and disasters — including the COVID-19 pandemic — consistently trigger sharp increases in domestic violence, sexual violence, and femicide. The pandemic period saw GBV rates rise so sharply that the UN described it as a global “shadow pandemic” running alongside COVID-19. (UN Women / WHO)
  The economic cost of intimate partner violence alone is estimated at over $1.5 trillion globally — measured in healthcare, lost productivity, and justice system costs. Beyond the financial toll, GBV silences women’s voices, limits their economic participation, and perpetuates cycles of poverty and powerlessness across generations. (World Bank / UN Women)