As persistent insecurity and forced displacement continue to plague central and northern regions of Mali, women face increasingly severe risks of gender-based violence, a United Nations agency has warned.
Presenting findings from a survey conducted last May, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN agency for sexual and reproductive health, reported a “surge in sexual violence cases within internally displaced persons (IDP) sites and conflict zones.” The report specifically cited instances of “sexual exploitation, harassment, and forced marriage.”
This heightened vulnerability emerges within a “critical humanitarian context” across certain localities in the central Sahel, particularly for women who are not only exposed to amplified risks of sexual violence but are also “deprived of adequate access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.”
According to the UN agency, May 2025 witnessed an intensification of armed violence, notably in the regions of Tombouctou, Gao, Mopti, and Ménaka, marked by a resurgence of attacks from armed groups. These violent incidents have triggered new waves of mass displacement.
Access to health services is severely restricted
The number of internally displaced persons has nearly reached 380,000, a significant increase from 330,000 in May 2024, representing an almost 15% rise. “Women and girls are at the core of these vulnerabilities and are disproportionately impacted by this insecurity and the humanitarian crisis,” stated UNFPA.
Among the 6.4 million individuals in need of humanitarian assistance, more than half are women and girls, many of whom reside in areas where access to protection and health services is extremely limited, the agency highlighted.
Currently, less than a quarter of health facilities in crisis-affected regions provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare or support for survivors of gender-based violence. Nearly half of all specialized services in this crucial area remain shut nationwide. The most severely impacted regions include Gao (76%), Ménaka (77%), Mopti (56%), and Tombouctou (80%).
On the ground, UNFPA teams are actively scaling up their humanitarian response, lending support to 86 health facilities, establishing six safe spaces for women and girls, and operating seven one-stop centers in the most affected central and northern regions (Ségou, Mopti, Gao, Tombouctou, Ménaka).
“Colossal” funding shortfall
During the month of May alone, mobile health teams delivered sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence response programs to nearly 3,000 individuals in displacement camps, 80% of whom were women and girls.
Midwives provided essential prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care, while dignity kits and reproductive health supplies were distributed in areas affected by floods and conflicts.
Across Mali, close to 900,000 women and girls are targeted for reproductive health services or sexual violence prevention and response programs.
However, the humanitarian response remains critically underfunded. Out of this year’s appeal for $16.5 million, UNFPA has received only $2.9 million. This leaves the agency’s teams facing a “colossal deficit of $13.5 million” needed to assist thousands of vulnerable women and girls.
Without “urgent additional funding,” the scope and sustainability of sexual violence prevention programs and vital reproductive health services in Mali are severely jeopardized.
