In a quiet village on the outskirts of Hebron, the digital world and the physical reality of a young woman named Mariam* collided in a devastating instant. A notification on her phone signaled a betrayal: a close friend had secretly photographed her without her veil and was now using those images as leverage for extortion. The threat was clear—pay the ransom or face public shaming that could destroy her reputation and safety within her community. Thousands of miles away, in the Jiwaka province of Papua New Guinea, Lilly* lives in a state of perpetual hyper-vigilance. Her husband’s alcohol-fueled outbursts often end in physical violence, and his control extends to the only mobile phone in the house. By monopolizing her access to technology, he has effectively severed her lifeline to the outside world, leaving her isolated from the very digital resources designed to help survivors like her. Meanwhile, in the war-torn streets of Kyiv, Ukraine, a young woman named Iryna* faced a different kind of erasure. Living with HIV and having survived sexual violence, the eruption of full-scale war stripped her of her home, her communication tools, and the essential medical support services she required to survive.
These women live in vastly different geographical and cultural landscapes, yet they share a common reality: their safety and dignity are under constant siege. Whether in the privacy of their homes, the bustle of a public market, or the intangible spaces of the internet, the boundaries of violence have become increasingly porous. The rise of technology-facilitated violence has created a “new frontier” of abuse, where deepfakes, stalking, and digital blackmail are used to silence women and push them out of public life. However, as the digital landscape evolves into a tool for oppression, it is also being reclaimed as a powerful instrument for survivor-centered responses. The challenge lies in how the international community supports the local organizations that stand between these women and the crises they face.
Global statistics remain a sobering reminder of the scale of this struggle. One in three women worldwide will experience gender-based violence during her lifetime—a figure that spikes dramatically during times of conflict and displacement. In these high-pressure environments, local women’s rights organizations are almost always the first to respond. They are the architects of safe spaces, the providers of psychosocial care, and the primary advocates for justice. Yet, these organizations often operate on shoestring budgets in some of the world’s most volatile regions. To address this, a strategic partnership has emerged between two primary UN grant-making mechanisms: the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) and the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). By working in tandem with UN Women, these funds are moving beyond simple crisis response toward a model of long-term resilience, ensuring that the work started in an emergency continues long after the headlines fade.
The situation in Ukraine provides a powerful case study in how long-term investment creates a “continuum of care” that can withstand the shock of war. Between 2011 and 2014, the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health (UFPH) received critical support from the UN Trust Fund to bolster protection services for the country’s most vulnerable—women living with HIV, survivors of violence, and those experiencing homelessness. This early funding was not just about immediate aid; it was about building an infrastructure of social workers, healthcare providers, and law enforcement officers trained in survivor-centered approaches. When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, this existing network became the foundation for a rapid emergency response.
In partnership with WPHF and UN Women Ukraine, the UFPH launched the “Safe Women Hub” just two months after the conflict escalated. This online platform was designed specifically for women like Iryna*, who were cut off from physical support systems due to displacement. The Hub provides anonymous counseling, mental health support, and referrals for survivors of human trafficking and sexual violence. For Iryna*, the Hub was more than a website; it was a gateway to a temporary shelter where she could find safety and medical guidance during the height of the war. This transition from a traditional service provider to a digital-first responder illustrates how organizational resilience allows local groups to adapt their methods without losing their mission.
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the concept of resilience is deeply tied to the ability of communities to resist oppression and recover from systemic setbacks. The Rural Women’s Development Society (RWDS) has spent over four decades building a network of 58 women’s clubs across the region. These clubs serve as trusted sanctuaries where women can gather without fear, providing a vital social infrastructure in areas where isolation is a significant risk factor for violence. When Mariam* faced digital blackmail in Hebron, her local women’s club was her first point of contact. Through the club, she was connected to a psychosocial therapist, and RWDS worked directly with technical experts to ensure the non-consensual images were removed from the internet.
The support provided to RWDS highlights the complementary nature of the UN’s funding mechanisms. While the WPHF provides flexible, rapid funding to empower youth and women’s groups to act as early-warning reporters of violence, the UN Trust Fund focuses on maintaining specialized services for those who face intersecting forms of discrimination, such as widowed women, single mothers, and women with disabilities. RWDS has also adapted to the digital age by collaborating with religious leaders and the Palestinian Cybercrime Unit. By framing digital safety as a collective matter of family and community well-being, they are breaking down the stigma associated with online harassment. Rulla Sarras, the Director of Funding and Development at RWDS, notes that the need for protection is holistic. “They want to live in their homes safely, free from attacks,” she says. “Even amid war, women are caring for their families and communities, and they need to feel secure—physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
In Papua New Guinea, the struggle against violence requires a transformation of deep-seated social norms. In a country where two-thirds of women experience violence, grassroots organizations like Voice for Change (VfC) are working to make both physical and digital spaces safer. Early investment from the UN Trust Fund allowed VfC to implement a province-wide program in Jiwaka, which led to the creation of local by-laws and a provincial strategy to combat gender-based violence. This initiative made local markets safer for vendors like Lilly*, who previously faced constant street harassment and public violence.
Today, with the support of WPHF, VfC is expanding its reach through Family Safety Committees. These committees bring together a diverse coalition of local leaders, including police officers, peace mediators, and justice officials, to improve referral pathways for survivors. Crucially, they have also begun tackling the “digital threats” that keep women isolated. By educating women on how to navigate online spaces safely and identifying cyberstalking as a form of domestic abuse, VfC is ensuring that technology becomes a tool for connection rather than a weapon of control. The synergy between the two funds is evident here: the UN Trust Fund built the institutional bones of the referral system, while WPHF provided the agility to address emerging challenges like digital abuse.
The success of these programs points toward a broader necessity in the humanitarian sector: the need for a “feminist funding” landscape. In the face of a global funding crisis, no single organization or fund can solve the epidemic of violence alone. The partnership between the UN Trust Fund, WPHF, and UN Women represents a unified ecosystem that recognizes the expertise of local women. By combining long-term institutional strengthening with the agility required for crisis response, this model ensures that survivors are not just “managed” during an emergency but are supported through a journey of recovery and empowerment. As the world becomes increasingly digital and conflicts continue to displace millions, the resilience of local women’s organizations remains the most effective defense against the changing face of violence.
