To mark International Women’s Day this Sunday, Nikki Dhillon Keane, Head of Caritas Hope, reflects on its continued relevance in the fight against domestic abuse and gender-based violence. Please note that this article contains information about violence and abuse against women that some readers may find distressing.
On 8th March every year, we mark International Women’s Day; a time to celebrate the role and achievements of women in our societies, but also to raise awareness about women’s safety and equal dignity around the world.
The day traces its roots to early twentieth-century America, where women were campaigning for voting rights and better pay. America held its first National Women’s Day in 1909, and two years later, several countries across Europe followed suit, marking the first International Women’s Day. It wasn’t until 1975, the ‘International Women’s Year,’ that the United Nations first observed the event.
Thirty years ago, in 1996, the UN began to assign a theme to the event each year. This year’s is ‘Rights. Justice. Action for ALL women and girls,’ with a focus on closing legal gaps between women and men. This remains an important issue, because globally, women are only afforded 64% of the legal protections that men have. While the gap in some countries is much wider, there is, as yet, no nation in the world that has completely eliminated the disparity between legal protections for men and women.
Legal justice for women would create societies where perpetrators of violence against women do not have impunity from the law. It would give legal protection to education, which in so many countries is denied to girls. It would put an end to child marriage and other forms of gender-based violence. It would also ensure that legal aid is accessible and affordable to all, so that no one would be denied legal protection due to their financial status.
A global issue
Disturbingly, in many places around the world we are witnessing women’s rights being rolled back; often as a result of authoritarian regimes, conflict or climate change, which disproportionately affect women.
Around the globe, the number of women killed by men is increasing. The most recent figures from the UN show that in 2024, around 50,000 women and girls were killed by a partner or family member. That is equivalent to one woman being killed by someone who was meant to love them every 10 minutes.
In areas of conflict, women are especially at risk; with sexual violence perpetrated in order to create fear and demoralise communities. The International Red Cross has warned of a steep rise in sexual violence as a weapon of war, particularly as the number of conflicts around the world have reached a record high. Pope Leo XIV has spoken out against the use of violence against women in conflict zones, denouncing it as ‘unacceptable suffering.’
As more areas of the world are affected by climate change, women are more likely than men to bear the brunt of the resulting resource scarcity and poverty; a recent UN report suggests that by 2050, climate change will have pushed 158 million more women into poverty around the world.
Around the world, women are more affected by poverty, earning an average of 24% less than men. With responsibilities for household management and family welfare falling disproportionately on women, they are often the “shock absorbers” of increasing poverty.
Women are more likely to have unpaid care responsibilities as well as more limited access to education, formal or paid employment, land or property. In his Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te, Pope Leo spoke about women facing poverty being ‘doubly poor’ as they are often less able to defend their rights.
A national emergency
Here in the UK, there are many women living in danger: in the year ending in March 2025, 1 in 8 women were subjected to domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault.
The UK Government has named violence against women as a national emergency, and pledged to halve it within a decade. To achieve this, they released a VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls) Strategy entitled Freedom from violence and abuse, which sets out targets for systemic reform and pledges funding to support victims/survivors. It also makes it mandatory for all secondary schools to address misogyny and topics such as online harm.
While this is undoubtedly the most ambitious attempt to tackle violence against women we have seen in the UK, the strategy has received criticism for “barely scratching the surface” with the funding pledged to services already reaching crisis point. It also fails to address the gaps in provision, particularly for those women who face barriers accessing support.
On this International Women’s Day, when we are focused on justice, rights and action for all women, we need to be particularly mindful of women who fall through the gaps in service provision, for example because they have a minoritized racial or sexual identity. Women who are Deaf or disabled are twice as likely to be subjected to domestic abuse, and yet have much more limited access to support than hearing or able-bodied peers.
Similarly, women with insecure immigration status and no recourse to public funds are not able to access any statutory support for fleeing abuse. In addition, they may face deportation if they report their abuse to the police; a fact that abusers can often take advantage of.
Taking action
For those who wish to educate themselves about these issues, Caritas Hope’s Safe in Faith project has a number of resources on our website, as well as training events for Catholic clergy, parish safeguarding representatives and other parish staff. Most of these are free of charge and can be accessed online from anywhere in England and Wales.
There are also a several ways to take action in your parish:
- Join our “Ask for Mary” programme, so we can equip your parish office to be a safe space where women at risk can use the phone and internet to seek help. Alternatively, we can provide you with posters for the toilets containing details of the nearest safe space.
- Encourage your parish priest to talk about these issues in homilies, giving the message to anyone at risk that the church is a safe space where they can come and seek support.
- Put up our Signposting Toolkit to help people at risk find the right kind of support for them.
- Above all, you can spread the message that God loves each and every one of us and wants us all to be safe.
On this International Women’s Day, why not commit to taking one of these practical steps towards making your parish a safer place for the women in your community?
Seeking support for yourself or someone else:
In an emergency:
If there is immediate danger call 999
For an emergency protection order visit www.rightsofwomen.org.uk, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or call your local domestic abuse agency.
You can also find information about local domestic abuse support on the website of your local council.
If children or vulnerable adults are involved, contact your parish safeguarding representative, diocesan safeguarding service, visit www.nspcc.org.uk or call your local social services or Childline on 0800 1111.
If it is not an emergency:
National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247
Live Fear Free Helpline (Wales): 0808 8010 800
Rape Crisis: 0808 500 2222
If you think you might be harming people close to you, support is available from the Respect Phoneline: 0808 802 4040
Safe in Faith is part of Caritas Hope, working to address domestic abuse and gender-based violence in faith settings. We offer training and resources for Catholic clergy, parishes and schools, as well as for interfaith groups of counsellors, psychotherapists, domestic abuse workers and other professionals. Our “Ask for Mary” project helps equip parishes to be safe spaces where people in danger can safely access the phone or internet to seek help.
