Violence against women and girls in Africa is widespread. Women and girls suffer forced marriages, dowry-related violence, marital rape, sexual harassment, forced sterilisation, female genital mutilation and forced prostitution.
A GLOBAL CRISIS
AFRICA

Africa
ASIA - PACIFIC
Violence against women and girls in Asia-Pacific countries is pervasive and entrenched patriarchal systems are slow to change. Women and girls are often forced to migrate far from home to find work, leaving them vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

Asia - Pacific
CARIBBEAN
Despite positive developments in laws relating to gender-based violence in the English-speaking Caribbean, there are many challenges with implementation of laws, women being pressured to drop charges against perpetrators and poor police responses.


St Lucia
The Minister of Gender Relations in St Lucia has said that violence against women is a “major challenge” and victims of domestic violence “suffer in isolation and silence.” The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force’s Domestic Abuse Manual states there is “secrecy and shame” surrounding the issue of domestic violence in Saint Lucia, so it is difficult to understand the full extent of the problem.
Read more about our work and partners
UK
Violence against women in the UK is severely underreported. Gender-based domestic violence affects one in three women, and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BME) women and migrant women are being failed or discriminated against by the State.
Select an area to see which partners we are working with
East Midlands
In the East Midlands, Sisters For Change has worked with partners in Leicester. Leicester has an estimated population of 547,000 people. Combating violence against women and girls is a stated area of focus for Leicester City Council and Leicestershire Police.
Read about our work and partners
West Midlands
In the West Midlands, Sisters For Change has worked with partners in the city of Coventry. Coventry is the 9th largest city in the UK, with an estimated population of 360,000 people and a large BME population.
Read about our work and partners
London
Working with local partner London Black Women’s Project (LBWP), Newham borough in London was an area of strategic focus for Sisters For Change 2017 report Unequal Regard, Unequal Protection: Public authority responses to violence against BME women in England.
Read about our work and partners
North East
In the North East, Sisters For Change focused its work in Newcastle, working with a local partner. With a population of 447,400, Newcastle is the largest city in the North East of England and has high rates of violence against women, accounting for almost 25% of violent crime in the city.
Read about our work and partners
North West
In Greater Manchester, Sisters For Change is currently working with frontline BME service providers to improve accountability within the local authorities for the protection of BME women victims of violence.
Read about our work and partners
Yorkshire
Sisters For Change worked with partners in Rotherham and Sheffield to document service commissioning for victims of violence for our 2017 publication Unequal Regard, Unequal Protection: Public authority responses to violence against BME women in England. Rotherham came into the media spotlight following the exposure of a child sexual exploitation scandal in 2012.
Read about our work and partners
LATEST NEWS
STAY INFORMED
Keep up to date with Sisters For Change activities by subscribing to our newsletter below, and following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.