A Quintet of Key Moments in the Assault on the Freedoms of Women and Girls in 2025.
Twelve months prior, feminist advocacy groups were preparing for a return of Donald Trump to office. Scarcely anyone expected. The volume and speed of executive orders originating in the White House were regarded as a calculated strategy to cause confusion and fear. To a large extent, it succeeded – there was chaos, resentment, and burnout as agencies hastened to address the shortfall left by a sudden aid suspension. But this was only the precursor.
The Trump administration has been the key driver, supported by vigorous campaigning by ultra-conservative groups capitalizing on the climate to build worldwide connections with ideological partners.
Often termed the anti-gender movement signifies a transnational grouping of policymakers, doctrinal establishments, and activist outfits as well as wealthy philanthropists and dynasties that work to dismantle progress across a wide spectrum of issues. This covers pro-choice policies, equality for sexual minorities, gender identity recognition, and inclusive relationship teaching.
They achieve this through advocating to officials, financing legal challenges, sabotaging multilateral work to foster equity, propagating misinformation, and bankrolling sympathetic charities.
We examine five moments that shaped the protection, honor, and existence of the female population.
USAID Effectively Dismantled
In early spring, six weeks after a prominent humanitarian funder is its funds are blocked, causing widespread distress, a top American diplomat states that nearly all of the agency’s programmes will be eliminated. American foreign service officers, past leaders and humanitarian and health experts condemn the news, warning that lives will be lost. Rights defenders say that the demise of the agency is not just a financial shortfall, it is a savage attack on human rights and family planning and reproductive care. Many organisations say females will bear the brunt by reduced funding, especially in regions of instability. As the year ends, evidence indicates how a significant mortality toll has been exacted from illness, famine, inadequate obstetric services, and violence against women, with millions more to come. Additional key contributing countries announce their own austerity measures. A director of a global justice organization says a decision to slash billions in overseas assistance is an attempt to placate a powerful partner.
Conservative Religious Groups Lobby at UN Women Meeting
In March, several Christian-right organisations meet in an luxury Manhattan venue for a strategic summit held alongside the UN's flagship gender equality meeting. It is an opportunity to share tactics on how to oppose what they term a UN overreach. They are in high spirits as they welcome changes in American foreign policy on social issues and termination of pregnancy. Meanwhile, the world's top diplomat opens the global conference with a grave caution that “the venom of male dominance” is resurgent, after a report shows that opponents of gender equality are actively undermining longstanding consensus on core aspects of gender equality around the world.
African ‘Family Values’ Conferences
Over the warmer months, a series of conferences in Africa focused on the traditional family and national sovereignty sparks alarm among rights advocates. In May, a president and first lady open a large assembly to push back on what they label external influences undermining local norms. A few days later, another continental gathering on traditional morals is held. Both events are participated in by leading American and European conservative activists, including presidents of prominent organizations. One speaker exhorts African NGOs to push back against “radical global social engineering” of global institutions. In the following month, a global faith group hosts a family strengthening conference in West Africa, an event that health activists say has become a forum for opposing queer and trans rights. Advocates remark that the extent of foreign involvement has expanded considerably.
Contraceptive Destruction Order
As medical centers in numerous African countries report they are depleting their stocks of family planning supplies, including prophylaxis for assault victims, the US announces in July plans to destroy a vast stockpile of birth control held in a warehouse in Europe. A leading family planning organization states that their elimination will deprive millions of women and girls from contraceptive supplies, and lead to hundreds of thousands of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions. The organization labels the plan an politically-motivated move “about exporting a regressive policy worldwide” and “a deliberate form of reproductive oppression”. A prominent medical humanitarian organization calls it “callous and reckless”. NGOs offer to buy the contraceptives so they can fulfill their original purpose, but the US refuses all offers. The situation remains in deadlock as the regional government will not allow perfectly good supplies to be incinerated.
‘Global Gag Rule’ Expanded
Reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits Washington's support for groups that provide, advocate for or advise on abortion services overseas, is typical of certain US administrations. It was widely expected when the ban was reimposed in January. The administration also rejoined an international anti-abortion agreement. But in the autumn, the US announces it intends to expand the global gag rule to include governments and multilateral organisations in addition to NGOs, and to cover diversity programmes. Additional information regarding the policy's widened application are anticipated next year. A director of a major health partnership says widening the scope will have “devastating consequences”. Pro-choice activists fear that upcoming Washington funding agreements being discussed with African nations will become conditional on accepting the broadened restrictions.
