International Women’s Day
A blog by Farah Nazeer, Women’s Aid CEO
International Women’s Day is always a special event in the Women’s Aid calendar and one that we use as an opportunity for celebration, reflection and of course, looking towards the future.
These are testing times for so many, with different experiences of constrained resources, political change, the economic environment, and indeed the international context that’s playing out for women at large. The impact of these significant issues on our sector and the women and children we are here for is undeniable, but I wanted to make sure we could still carve some space to recognise what we have achieved together in spite of the many challenges, and our commitment to adapting and persevering to make things better.
For over half a century, Women’s Aid and its members have been supporting survivors of domestic abuse and working towards creating a society which has no space for misogyny, and which does not tolerate violence against women and girls. Rooted in the feminist movement of the 70s, today, we are a federation of over 180 organisations, supporting women and children as they seek to escape abuse and rebuild their lives. We are a sisterhood and it is by coming together and working together, that we are able to deliver the vital, life-changing support that survivors so desperately need.
It is a sad reality that women face an unequal amount of challenge and threat – from inequality in the workplace, through to the devastating reality that women are much more likely to be killed by their current or former partners. International Women’s Day is an important opportunity for us to recognise this and to celebrate our sisters, who do so much to help women and children flee. I am grateful to each and every one of them – in our federation and of course, worldwide.
The scale of the problem we are facing remains devastatingly vast. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, a third of women over the age of 16 in England and Wales experience domestic abuse. This is an astonishingly high figure, and yet, it is likely to be even higher, given that domestic abuse is a crime that hides in plain sight and one that is historically underreported.
To add to this already deeply challenging context, services are running within a frankly unsustainable funding environment, often being forced to turn women away who need help. Too many women referred to refuges cannot be accommodated because the space simply does not exist. And that matters because we have all heard the question: “Why doesn’t she just leave?” If anyone is still asking that question, the answer is painfully simple. Too often, when she tries to leave, society does not give her somewhere safe to go. Sustainable funding for the services that support women and children is critical. They are the backbone of response to ending violence against women and children.
Steps are being made to change the wider reality of violence against women and children and many of them are significant. It feels like we are living at a time of reckoning – we see public bodies reflecting on their failings, committing to learn and change. We have seen a government publish a strategy aimed at reducing VAWG. We are also seeing an increasingly aware society, women who are unafraid, who see bad behaviour and who do not shy away from calling it out whether that be online or in their own lives.
But the reality is, we cannot make the change that is needed alone. Momentum is gaining and it must be maximised and to do this, we must come together. We now need everyone else to stand with us – we need to see promises being delivered on, we need the pace to increase. Every woman who is killed by a predatory man is someone’s mother, daughter, sister, friend, colleague. They deserve better.
This momentum must go beyond the women’s sector; we need allies from the public and private sector to make a commitment as well. Ending domestic abuse requires change across society; to shift attitudes and to improve the support available to survivors wherever they look for it.
This year we’ve been so proud to work with some incredible corporate partners on initiatives that make a genuine difference to the lives of survivors. We’ve created pathways of support for women and children in need, delivered awareness campaigns to improve public understanding of abuse and have used our collective voice to reach new audiences and influence government.
I hope that 2026 brings opportunity for new innovative collaborations between our sector and our corporate allies. It’s these connections and partnerships that gives us the strength and power needed to truly challenge misogyny and abuse that is deep-rooted in our society.
My message this International Women’s Day is simple – it is hope and it is unity. We face many challenges, but the feminist movement has faced them ever since it began. We know that we can withstand these pressures, we know that we can achieve remarkable things. Join us – be proactive allies, campaign for change, call out dangerous behaviours and support one another. Together, we are unstoppable.