Transforming lives, ending violence: Stories of strength and solidarity in 2024

This month, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) is launching its Annual Report 2024, highlighting the life-saving work of its grantee partners around the world.  

Here we share the journeys of five women and girls whose lives were touched by the initiatives led by UN Trust Fund grantee partners in different regions of the world and different contexts. Stay tuned to learn more about our work in the upcoming Annual Report 2024. 

Faby 

Faby, 17, is one of the 142 girls supported through the initiative led by ECPAT France in Madagascar since 2022. “At 13, I was sexually exploited by a 51-year-old man” she shares.  

In Madagascar, where one in three women experience violence ranging from rape and sexual exploitation (in the forms of trafficking in persons and child sex tourism) to early marriage and forced pregnancies, organizations like ECPAT France provide a lifeline for adolescent girls to rebuild their lives after unspeakable trauma. ECPAT France provides psychological support, socio-economic rehabilitation and access to justice for survivors of violence.  

In 2024, the initiative supported 142 girl survivors through psychosocial, legal and educational services with 31 girls like Faby receiving vocational training to reclaim their independence, their dignity and their rights.  

Dalmida 

Before Damilda Esteban Porras found support from Centro de la Mujer Peruana Flora Tristán (Flora Tristan), she was afraid to speak out when met with violence and discrimination. 

A 33-year-old  Indigenous mother from Ipokiari, Damilda shared how she is faced with constant discrimination in her daily life – even when trying to take care of her sick son: "I was afraid to go to the hospital because doctors sometimes discriminate against Indigenous women. I stayed silent because I didn't know what to do."  

Flora Tristan, a women-led organization, addresses violence against Indigenous women by improving services for survivors of violence, reducing discrimination in schools and public settings, and enhancing authorities' capacity through workshops, advocacy marches and specialized training. After attending their empowerment workshops, Dalmida now advises other women in her community: "If someone suffers violence, don't stay silent – report it! Staying silent only drowns you and leads to very dark thoughts."  

In 2024, the initiative trained 163 Indigenous women who have shared their knowledge with 342 more women in their communities. 

Nour* 

When Nour’s husband refused to register their marriage or their newborn child, and proceeded to abandon them both, she realized that her baby was left without any official identity, citizenship or social security.  

In the conflict-stricken Lebanon, Justice Without Frontiers (JWF) supports women like Nour to access justice by offering legal assistance and practical support, first by helping Nour’s child gain legal recognition. In parallel, Nour received training from JWF to become a paralegal and empower other women facing the same challenges. She now works with JWF: "I recognize how important and meaningful it is to have survivors of legal discrimination and violence against women support others," she says. "It shows them there is a way forward."  

In 2024 alone, the JWF’s work provided 175 women, nearly half of them refugees, with education on protection mechanisms, legal rights, and support services in conflict-affected Tripoli and southern Lebanon. Beyond individual support, JWF brings together judges, government officials and security forces to create lasting change in how Lebanon's institutions respond to violence against women and girls. 

Natisara 

Natisara Raj was one of 500 women to be rescued from a brothel India, where she had been trafficked at the age of 13. 

Once rescued back in her home in Nepal, she faced stigma and rejection after being diagnosed with HIV. Determined to support women facing similar hardships, Natisara founded Shakti Milan Samaj (SMS) in 2006. Today, SMS’s initiative is on its way to reach 580 women - including survivors of trafficking, wives of migrant workers, and women living with HIV - through psychosocial counselling, support groups, shelter, and family education to prevent domestic violence. The organization has also successfully advocated for universal access to antiretroviral treatment. 

By transforming her own trauma into a mission of healing, Natisara is proving that with the right support, women in the most underserved communities can lead important change. 

Dr. Ljiljana Mladenović Segedi 

"When the victim finds the strength to face their trauma thanks to our support, it's a reminder of the importance of our work.”, explains Dr. Ljiljana Mladenović Segedi, a gynaecologist and longtime coordinator at the Centre for Victims of Sexual Violence in Novi, Serbia. 

The Centre is one of the five facilities across Vojvodina established by the Centre for Support of Women, to provide comprehensive care to survivors of violence. By offering immediate medical attention, forensic evidence collection, psychological support, and pathways to legal and social resources, the Centre ensures survivors do not face any retraumatization or shame or fear. Like Dr. Segedi, healthcare workers at the Centre are trained to provide compassionate, survivor-centred and trauma-informed care. "At the beginning, we faced resistance from doctors who said that gender-based violence is not a medical problem," Dr. Segedi recalls.  

In 2024, thanks to this new approach to care, 143 cases of violence were reported.  

*Name changed to protect the individual’s identity.