A woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK. Globally, gender equality remains 134 years away. As International Women’s Day approaches, a landmark event asks how we turn solidarity into action.
When the UK government finally unveiled its strategy to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG) at the end of 2025, gender-based groups gave it a cautious welcome. Its focus on prevention, tackling harmful behaviours in boys and a renewed commitment to halving VAWG within a decade were widely seen as steps in the right direction.
The strategy’s emphasis on stronger laws, investment in prevention, specialist training and education also resonates with findings from a recent report by The Circle, the global feminist organisation co-founded by singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. In Being Heard, The Circle called for a survivor-centred approach to gender-based violence worldwide, placing dignity, safety and prevention at its core.
Yet a critical question remains: is the UK funding enough to address the scale of the domestic problem? The government has pledged that overall funding will exceed £1bn, but for frontline organisations such as Refuge, the strategy’s ‘bold aims’ have ‘not been matched with the level of funding required to deliver meaningful change’.
The numbers make the challenge stark. A 2024 analysis by the National Police Chiefs’ Council found that 2 million women in England and Wales are victims of male violence every year – a situation described as a ‘national emergency’. A woman is killed by a man on average every three days in the UK, and nearly 20% of all recorded crime in England and Wales involves VAWG.
Support the work of The Circle by donating to the IWD appeal Make A Stand for 1 in 3 and help drive lasting change for women and girls.
In other parts of the world, the situation is even more alarming. One in three women worldwide will experience violence in their lifetime. Some 300 million women and girls are living in extreme poverty, and, according to 2024/2025 data from the World Economic Forum, we are still 134 years away from achieving gender equality.
Meanwhile, within an increasingly unstable political landscape, the UN reported a 25% rise in conflict-related sexual violence in 2024. At the same time, AI-powered deepfake technology is being weaponised at speed, fuelling a surge in non-consensual pornographic images targeting women and girls.
Ahead of an RSA event marking International Women’s Day, The Circle’s CEO discusses the devastating impact of slashed aid budgets, the power of collective action, and what it will take to build a safer world for women and girls.
With International Women’s Day on 8 March fast approaching, the urgency to act has never been clearer. On 4 March, the Great Room at RSA House will host a vital conversation – Make a Stand with The Circle – on exactly these issues.
BBC Woman’s Hour presenter Nuala McGovern will chair a panel bringing together The Circle’s CEO Raakhi Shah, Delphine Uwamahoro, founder of Rwandan non-governmental organisation Our Sisters’ Opportunity, and Ziauddin Yousafzai, Co-Founder of the Malala Fund, which advocates for girls’ education.
The discussion forms part of The Circle’s Global Feminism Seriesand will investigate the pandemic of violence and the dramatic challenges facing women globally – exploring how solidarity and collective action can protect progress and drive real change. It’s another not-to-be-missed evening in the RSA’s 2026 events season.
Join us at RSA House or watch live on YouTube for an International Women’s Day discussion.
