The threat arrived not with a physical blow, but with a notification on a screen. In a quiet village near Hebron, Mariam* felt the walls of her world closing in when a supposedly trusted friend threatened to leak private photos of her without her veil. The ultimatum was clear: pay or face public ruin. Thousands of miles away in the Jiwaka province of Papua New Guinea, Lilly* faced a different kind of digital isolation. Her husband, prone to alcohol-fueled violence, controlled the household’s only mobile phone, effectively severing her connection to the outside world and the digital resources that might offer her a path to safety. Meanwhile, in the war-torn streets of Kyiv, Iryna*—a survivor of sexual violence living with HIV—found herself suddenly displaced, her essential medical and psychological support systems obliterated by the chaos of a full-scale invasion.
Though their geographies and cultures are worlds apart, these women share a common reality: their safety and dignity are under constant siege. In the modern era, the battle for women’s rights is no longer confined to physical spaces. The rapid rise of technology-facilitated gender-based violence has dissolved the boundaries between the home, the street, and the digital sphere. From deepfakes and non-consensual image sharing to high-tech stalking and digital blackmail, the tools of the 21st century are being weaponized against women and girls. Yet, in this same digital landscape, a sophisticated counter-offensive is taking shape. Through the strategic coordination of multilateral funds and local grassroots leadership, a new blueprint for resilience is being drafted—one that moves beyond temporary crisis response to build permanent, survivor-centered ecosystems.
The statistics remain a sobering reminder of the work ahead. Global data confirms that one in three women will experience gender-based violence during her lifetime. This vulnerability is not static; it scales exponentially during times of conflict, economic instability, and environmental crisis. When traditional social structures collapse, the risks to women multiply, and the internet often becomes a playground for predators. Harassment and digital erasure push women out of public discourse, denying them the right to safety in schools, workplaces, and their own homes. To combat this, 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)—have forged a powerful partnership. By pooling resources and expertise with UN Women, these funds are ensuring that local women-led organizations have the financial stamina to stay the course, transitioning from emergency aid to long-term structural change.
The evolution of the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health (UFPH) serves as a definitive case study in this “continuum of care” model. Between 2011 and 2014, the UN Trust Fund invested in UFPH to bolster health and protection services for some of the most marginalized populations, including women living with HIV and those experiencing homelessness. This early investment was not just about providing immediate care; it was about building a professional infrastructure. Social workers, law enforcement officers, and healthcare providers were trained in survivor-centered protocols, creating a sleeping network of experts.
When the full-scale war erupted in February 2022, this foundation proved life-saving. While many international organizations were still struggling to mobilize, UFPH—supported by the agility of the WPHF and UN Women Ukraine—was able to pivot almost instantly. Within two months of the invasion, they launched the Safe Women Hub. This digital platform was specifically designed to bridge the gap for women like Iryna, providing anonymous mental health support, legal aid, and referrals for survivors of trafficking and sexual violence. The Hub transformed the smartphone from a tool of potential surveillance into a portable sanctuary, proving that when local organizations are empowered during peacetime, they become the most effective first responders during wartime.
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the concept of resilience is deeply rooted in community and historical continuity. The Rural Women’s Development Society (RWDS) has spent four decades building a network of 58 women’s clubs. These clubs are more than just meeting rooms; they are trusted hubs of resistance and recovery. In a region where movement is often restricted and conflict is a constant backdrop, these physical spaces provide the safety necessary for women to address the “new” violence of the digital age.
For Mariam, the victim of digital blackmail in Hebron, her local women’s club was her first port of call. Through the RWDS, she accessed a specialized psychosocial therapist and technical assistance to remove the non-consensual images from the internet. This response was made possible by the complementary funding of the WPHF and the UN Trust Fund. While the WPHF provided flexible, rapid funding to empower youth and women’s groups as early-warning reporters of violence, the UN Trust Fund focused on maintaining specialized services for the most vulnerable, including widowed women and those living with disabilities.
Rulla Sarras, the Director of Funding and Development at RWDS, emphasizes that protection must be holistic. According to Sarras, women need to feel secure physically, mentally, and emotionally to continue their roles as the backbones of their families. By working with community leaders, including men and religious figures, and partnering with Cybercrime Units, the RWDS is reframing digital safety as a collective community responsibility rather than a private female burden. They are proving that even in the midst of protracted conflict, the fight against cyberbullying and blackmail is essential to maintaining the social fabric.
The transformative power of this funding model is equally evident in Papua New Guinea. In a nation where two-thirds of women face violence, the grassroots organization Voice for Change (VfC) is dismantling the culture of impunity. In Jiwaka Province, early support from the UN Trust Fund allowed VfC to implement a province-wide program that tackled public harassment and made local markets safer for vendors like Lilly. This work wasn’t just about awareness; it resulted in tangible policy changes, including the creation of local bylaws and a provincial strategy to combat gender-based violence.
Building on that structural success, the WPHF provided the flexible support needed to expand VfC’s reach. They strengthened a network of Family Safety Committees, which bring together a diverse coalition of police, justice officials, peace mediators, and local NGOs. These committees are now the front line in addressing emerging digital threats. By teaching women how to navigate online spaces safely, VfC is ensuring that technology remains a tool for connection and empowerment rather than another avenue for abuse. The trajectory of VfC shows that early institutional investment creates the “referral pathways” necessary for long-term success, while agile funding allows organizations to adapt to the shifting tactics of abusers.
Ultimately, the success of these initiatives hinges on a fundamental shift in how the international community approaches aid. Ending violence against women and girls is not a project with a fixed end date; it is a continuous process that requires local leadership and sustained, predictable resources. The partnership between the UN Trust Fund and the WPHF represents a move away from siloed funding toward a more feminist, integrated landscape. By combining the UN Trust Fund’s focus on institutional strengthening with the WPHF’s proximity to crisis-affected communities, they are creating a unified ecosystem that is as resilient as the women it serves.
In an era of unprecedented global funding crises, these stories from Ukraine, Palestine, and Papua New Guinea offer a roadmap for the future. They remind us that while the methods of violence may change—moving from the physical world to the virtual one—the solution remains the same: investing in the women who are already on the ground, doing the work, and refusing to be silenced. For Mariam, Lilly, and Iryna, these funds are more than just financial transactions; they are the lifelines that allow them to reclaim their dignity and their future.
*Names have been changed to protect the identity and safety of the survivors.
About the UN Trust Fund: The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women is the only global grant-making mechanism dedicated exclusively to addressing all forms of violence against women and girls at local and national levels.
About the WPHF: The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund is a flexible and rapid financing tool that supports local women’s organizations to lead response and recovery efforts in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
