According to findings from a May survey, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN agency dedicated to sexual and reproductive health, reports “a surge in sexual violence incidents within internally displaced persons’ sites and active conflict areas.” The report details cases of “sexual exploitation, harassment, and forced marriage.”

This heightened vulnerability occurs amidst a “critical humanitarian landscape” in parts of the central Sahel, particularly for women who not only face increased risks of sexual violence but are also “deprived of adequate access to essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.”

The UN agency noted that May 2025 saw an escalation in armed conflict, specifically in the regions of Timbuktu, Gao, Mopti, and Ménaka, marked by a resurgence of attacks from armed groups. These violent outbreaks have triggered significant new waves of displacement.

Access to Health Services Is Extremely Limited

The population of internally displaced persons has climbed to nearly 380,000, a significant increase from 330,000 in May 2024, representing an almost 15% rise. “Women and girls are at the epicenter of these vulnerabilities, disproportionately impacted by this insecurity and the unfolding humanitarian crisis,” stated UNFPA.

Out of the 6.4 million individuals requiring humanitarian aid, more than half are women and girls. Many reside in areas where access to vital protection and health services is severely restricted, according to the agency.

Currently, less than a quarter of health facilities in crisis-affected regions provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare or offer support to survivors of gender-based violence. Across the nation, nearly half of all specialized services in this crucial area remain non-operational. The most severely impacted regions include Gao (76%), Ménaka (77%), Mopti (56%), and Timbuktu (80%).

On the ground, UNFPA teams are actively scaling up their humanitarian response. They are supporting 86 health facilities, establishing six safe spaces specifically for women and girls, and operating seven one-stop centers in the most affected central and northern regions, including Ségou, Mopti, Gao, Timbuktu, and Ménaka.

“Colossal” Funding Shortfall

In May alone, mobile health teams delivered sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence prevention and response programs to almost 3,000 individuals in displacement camps, with 80% being women and adolescent girls.

Midwives were instrumental in providing prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care, while dignity kits and reproductive health supplies were distributed in areas devastated by floods and conflict.

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

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

Without “urgent additional funding,” the scope and sustainability of sexual violence prevention programs and reproductive health services in Mali are severely jeopardized.