KYIV, GENEVA, 1 April 2025 – As the war in Ukraine continues, another crisis is intensifying behind closed doors: a surge in gender-based violence that leaves women and girls across the country at an increased risk of abuse. 

A new report, Voices from Ukraine, launched today by UNFPA, reveals how the war compounds existing forms of violence and creates new risks for women and girls. 

The report, a qualitative study based on in-depth discussions with over 300 women, reveals that years of conflict have eroded the safety of women and girls within their own homes and in public spaces.

Key findings 

Heightened domestic violence: increased stress, aggression, and substance abuse within families are driving a surge in intimate partner and domestic violence.

Impact of returning soldiers: men returning, or on leave, from military service struggle with trauma and mental health challenges, affecting their behavior at home.

Mobility restrictions: Air alerts and curfews force women in abusive relationships to spend more time with their abusers.

Economic vulnerability: unemployment and financial insecurity increase women's dependence on men, including the perpetrators of violence.

Displacement-related risks: displaced women and girls face heightened vulnerability to abuse due to a lack of privacy in overcrowded shared accommodations.

Increased risk in blackouts: attacks on energy infrastructure and subsequent blackouts make public spaces, including streets, public transport, and shelters, more dangerous and increase the risk of sexual violence.

The report notes that the growing sense of insecurity in public spaces limits women's mobility, hinders their ability to seek help in an already unstable environment, and forces women at risk of violence to remain at home, in proximity to their abusers. Across Ukraine, women have reported difficulty in speaking out against intimate partner violence, especially when men returning from war are hailed as heroes within their communities.

“In a climate of increasing adversity globally to women’s rights and well-being, it is crucial that we remain steadfast in our commitment to do everything we can to make sure women and girls are safe, in their homes and in public, and can fully contribute to all spheres of society without fear or discrimination,” said Florence Bauer, UNFPA Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “This is particularly important in times of war and crisis, when women play such an important role in holding communities together.”

“We must listen to women and girls, their experiences and perspectives must be at the center of our humanitarian planning,” said Ulla Müller, UNFPA Representative to Ukraine, a.i. “Rebuilding roads and power lines is only part of the solution. We must also address the emotional and social wounds of war by placing survivors at the heart of every humanitarian and reconstruction plan.”

An estimated 2.4 million people in Ukraine—mostly women and girls—are experiencing, or are at risk of, gender-based violence and are in need of support services, according to the United Nations Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2025.  Two-thirds of households report anxiety, depression, or extreme stress due to economic instability, job loss, bereavement, and fear of future attacks.

Despite these challenges, local women-led organizations continue to serve as lifelines, offering shelters, helplines, counseling, and legal aid. Many of these frontline workers have themselves been displaced, but persist in reaching out to rural or devastated areas where resources are scarce.

UNFPA supports the Government of Ukraine with critical social services, including case management, safe spaces, psychosocial support, legal aid, and referrals. 

But with the recent funding cuts by the United States, and growing adversity globally to women’s rights and well-being, these services are now at severe risk of being cut, affecting over 600,000 people.  

The report calls for, among other things, increased investments in gender-based violence prevention and survivor care in Ukraine, more support of women-led organizations, and stronger mental health support, including for men returning from war.  

Full Report: https://ukraine.unfpa.org/en/publications/voices-ukraine-pilot

For media inquiries, please contact: 

Jens-Hagen Eschenbaecher, UNFPA Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, +905497483655, eschenbaecher@unfpa.org

Isaac Hurskin, Head of Communications, UNFPA Ukraine, hurskin@unfpa.org