In a report detailing findings from a survey conducted last May, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN agency dedicated to sexual and reproductive health, revealed “a surge in instances of sexual violence within internally displaced persons’ sites and active conflict zones.” The report specifically highlights occurrences of “sexual exploitation, harassment, and forced marriage.”

This heightened vulnerability emerges within a “critical humanitarian context” in specific areas of the central Sahel, particularly for women who face elevated risks of sexual violence and simultaneously endure a lack of adequate access to essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.

According to the UN agency, May 2025 was marked by an escalation of armed conflict, notably in the regions of Tombouctou, Gao, Mopti, and Ménaka, experiencing a resurgence of attacks by armed groups. These violent incidents have triggered new waves of mass displacement.

Access to vital health services severely limited

The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) 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, being disproportionately affected by this insecurity and the ongoing humanitarian crisis,” UNFPA stated.

Out of the 6.4 million individuals requiring humanitarian assistance, more than half are women and girls, many of whom reside in areas where access to protection and crucial health services is profoundly restricted, as per the agency’s findings.

Alarmingly, less than a quarter of health facilities in the crisis-affected regions currently provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare or support for survivors of gender-based violence.

Nationwide, nearly half of all specialized services in this crucial domain remain non-operational. The regions most severely impacted include Gao (76%), Ménaka (77%), Mopti (56%), and Tombouctou (80%).

On the ground, UNFPA teams are actively intensifying their humanitarian efforts, providing support to 86 health facilities, establishing six safe spaces specifically for women and girls, and operating seven one-stop centers in the most heavily affected regions of central and northern Mali (Ségou, Mopti, Gao, Tombouctou, Ménaka).

“Colossal” funding deficit endangers vital programs

In May alone, mobile health teams delivered critical sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence response programs to nearly 3,000 individuals within displacement camps, with 80% of beneficiaries being women and young girls.

Midwives offered essential prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care, while dignity kits and reproductive health supplies were distributed to communities affected by both floods and conflict.

Across Mali, close to 900,000 women and girls are targeted for reproductive health services or specific programs addressing sexual violence.

However, the humanitarian response remains severely underfunded. From this year’s appeal for $16.5 million, UNFPA has received only $2.9 million. This leaves the agency’s teams grappling with a “colossal deficit of $13.5 million” needed to assist thousands of women and girls in dire need.

Consequently, “without urgent additional funding,” the scope and long-term viability of programs combating sexual violence and providing essential reproductive health services in Mali are critically jeopardized.