A recent investigation conducted in May by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, has uncovered a disturbing escalation in sexual violence incidents across internally displaced persons (IDP) sites and active conflict zones. The report specifically highlights instances of sexual exploitation, pervasive harassment, and forced marriage.

This heightened vulnerability is unfolding within a critical humanitarian landscape in parts of the central Sahel, where women not only face increased risks of sexual violence but are also deprived of adequate access to essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.

According to the UN agency, May 2025 witnessed a significant surge in armed conflict, particularly in the regions of Timbuktu, Gao, Mopti, and Ménaka. This intensification of violence, marked by a rise in armed group attacks, triggered widespread new displacements.

Access to vital health services remains critically limited

The number of internally displaced persons has soared to nearly 380,000, a stark increase from 330,000 in May 2024, representing an almost 15% rise. UNFPA emphasizes that “women and girls bear the brunt of these vulnerabilities, being disproportionately affected by the escalating insecurity and humanitarian crisis.”

Out of the 6.4 million individuals requiring humanitarian assistance, over half are women and girls. Many of them reside in areas where access to fundamental protection services and healthcare is severely restricted, as reported by the agency.

Currently, fewer than a quarter of healthcare facilities in the crisis-affected regions offer comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services or vital support for survivors of gender-based violence. Alarmingly, nearly half of all specialized services in this crucial area remain non-operational nationwide. The regions experiencing the most significant closures include Gao (76%), Ménaka (77%), Mopti (56%), and Timbuktu (80%).

On the ground, UNFPA teams are actively scaling up their humanitarian response. This includes bolstering 86 health facilities, establishing six secure spaces specifically for women and girls, and operating seven integrated one-stop centers in the most severely impacted central and northern regions, such as Ségou, Mopti, Gao, Timbuktu, and Ménaka.

A colossal funding shortfall threatens vital aid

In May alone, mobile health teams successfully delivered sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence prevention support to almost 3,000 individuals within displacement camps, with women and young girls accounting for 80% of beneficiaries.

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

Across Mali, nearly 900,000 women and girls are targeted for essential reproductive health services or programs aimed at combating sexual violence.

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 grappling with a “colossal deficit of $13.5 million,” severely hindering their ability to assist thousands of vulnerable women and girls.

Without an urgent injection of additional funding, the scope and sustainability of programs addressing sexual violence and providing reproductive health services in Mali are gravely jeopardized.