In the quiet outskirts of Hebron, a Palestinian village where tradition and community ties run deep, a woman named Mariam found herself trapped in a modern nightmare. A trusted friend had surreptitiously photographed her without her veil, later weaponizing those images in a digital extortion plot. The threat was clear: pay a ransom, or face public shaming that could shatter her life. Thousands of miles away, in the Jiwaka province of Papua New Guinea, the threat is more visceral but equally isolating for Lilly. She navigates the daily terror of an abusive husband whose intoxication leads to physical violence and the confiscation of the household’s only mobile phone—a deliberate act of digital domesticity designed to sever her connection to the outside world. Meanwhile, in the war-torn streets of Kyiv, Iryna, a survivor of sexual violence living with HIV, faced the dual trauma of displacement and the sudden loss of the specialized healthcare networks she relied on for survival.
These stories, while geographically and culturally distinct, represent a singular, harrowing reality: for women and girls globally, safety is a shifting target. The traditional boundaries between physical and virtual spaces have dissolved, creating a landscape where violence is no longer confined to the home or the street but follows women onto their screens and into their pockets. However, in the face of this evolving crisis, a powerful multilateral partnership is proving that if violence can adapt, so can the systems designed to stop it. By leveraging the combined strengths of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) and the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), grassroots organizations are transforming from emergency responders into architects of long-term resilience.
The statistics remain a sobering call to action. Globally, one in three women will experience gender-based violence during her lifetime. This baseline of suffering spikes dramatically during periods of conflict, climate crisis, and economic instability. In today’s hyper-connected world, the tools of progress have also become tools of oppression. Technology-facilitated violence—ranging from deepfakes and non-consensual image sharing to high-tech stalking—is being used to silence women, push them out of the workforce, and deny them their right to public life. Yet, the same digital infrastructure that facilitates abuse is being reclaimed by advocates to provide survivor-centered care that is more accessible and anonymous than ever before.
The effectiveness of this response hinges on a fundamental truth: local women’s rights organizations are the most capable first responders. They possess the cultural nuance, the community trust, and the boots-on-the-ground presence that international agencies often lack. Recognizing this, the UN Trust Fund and the WPHF have synchronized their efforts to provide a "continuum of care" that bridges the gap between immediate crisis intervention and sustainable institutional growth.
Ukraine serves as a primary example of how early investment in local infrastructure pays dividends during a catastrophe. Between 2011 and 2014, long before the current full-scale conflict, the Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health (UFPH) received support from the UN Trust Fund to build a network of social workers and healthcare providers focused on the most marginalized—women with HIV and those experiencing homelessness. This wasn’t just a short-term project; it was the construction of a professional ecosystem.
When the 2022 invasion upended the country, UFPH did not have to start from scratch. Supported by the WPHF and UN Women, they rapidly pivoted to launch the "Safe Women Hub." This digital platform became a lifeline for displaced women like Iryna, offering mental health support and referrals to anonymous shelters through encrypted communication. Because the foundation had been laid a decade prior, the Hub was operational within two months of the outbreak of war, proving that resilience is not a reactive state but a proactive investment.
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Rural Women’s Development Society (RWDS) has spent four decades building a network of 58 women’s clubs. These are more than just meeting rooms; they are sanctuaries of resistance against both societal oppression and domestic violence. For Mariam, her local club was the only place she felt safe enough to report her digital blackmail. The organization didn’t just offer sympathy; they provided a therapist and coordinated with a Cybercrime Unit to have the non-consensual photos removed from the internet.
The synergy between the two UN funds is particularly visible here. While the WPHF provides flexible, rapid funding to empower youth and women as "early warning" reporters of violence, the UN Trust Fund supports RWDS in maintaining specialized services for the most vulnerable, including widowed women and survivors with disabilities. By framing digital safety as a matter of "family well-being," RWDS has successfully engaged male community leaders and religious figures in the fight against cyberbullying. Rulla Sarras, the Director of Funding and Development at RWDS, notes that in the current climate of conflict, the need for physical, mental, and emotional security is inextricably linked. "Even amid war, women are caring for their families and communities," she says, "and they need to feel secure to continue keeping those around them safe."
In Papua New Guinea, the challenges are equally steep. In a nation where two-thirds of women experience violence, Voice for Change (VfC) is working to dismantle the systemic roots of abuse. In Jiwaka Province, early investments from the UN Trust Fund allowed VfC to establish provincial gender-based violence strategies and safer market protocols for vendors like Lilly. This groundwork created a "Family Safety Committee" system that brings together police, justice officials, and peace mediators.
Now, with WPHF’s support, VfC is tackling the "new frontier" of digital abuse. They are educating women on how to navigate online spaces safely, ensuring that technology remains a tool for connection rather than a leash for control. By integrating digital threat awareness into their existing grassroots networks, VfC is ensuring that the safety net they have built remains relevant in an increasingly digital society.
What makes this multilateral approach successful is its departure from traditional, top-down humanitarian aid. Instead, it fosters a "feminist funding landscape." This model prioritizes the agility of the WPHF—which can move resources quickly into crisis zones—alongside the institutional-strengthening focus of the UN Trust Fund. When these two mechanisms are anchored by the global expertise of UN Women, the result is a unified ecosystem that doesn’t just help a woman survive a crisis; it helps her community build a future where such crises are less likely to occur.
The stories of Mariam, Lilly, and Iryna are not just stories of victimization, but of the profound impact of sustained support. Resilience is built on the ability to recover from setbacks, but it is maintained through the space and resources to resist oppression in all its forms—whether it comes from a physical blow or a digital threat. As the world faces an unprecedented funding crisis for humanitarian and gender-based causes, the coordination between these funds serves as a blueprint for how to maximize impact.
By investing in the leadership of local women and adapting to the complexities of the digital age, this partnership is ensuring that the safety and dignity of women and girls are no longer negotiable. It is a transition from mere crisis response to the creation of a permanent, resilient shield—one that protects women at home, in public, and on the screens that have become an inseparable part of their lives. In the end, the goal is simple yet revolutionary: to ensure that every woman, regardless of her context, has the right to live free from fear, both in the physical world and the digital one.
