đ Share this article Five Defining Significant Developments in the Erosion of the Rights of Females in 2025. A year ago, organisations advocating for women's rights were anticipating a Trump presidency sequel. Hardly anyone anticipated. The torrent and swiftness of executive orders emanating from the White House were viewed as a premeditated approach to induce a state of shock. The tactic proved effective â there was disarray, outrage, and weariness as organisations scrambled to compensate for the loss left by a major funding freeze. But that was just the beginning. The Washington leadership has been the key driver, supported by fervent lobbying efforts by religious fundamentalist networks capitalizing on the climate to forge international alliances with sympathetic regimes. Often termed the anti-gender movement signifies a transnational grouping of elected officials, faith-based bodies, non-governmental organisations as well as wealthy philanthropists and dynasties that seek to undermine progress across a wide spectrum of issues. Areas targeted involve abortion, LGBTQ rights, trans rights, non-traditional family structures and comprehensive sexuality education. They achieve this through lobbying governments, supporting court cases, discrediting international efforts to push for parity, disseminating propaganda, and supporting ideologically-matched groups. We analyze five junctures that influenced the safety, dignity and lives of girls and women. USAID Effectively Dismantled In the month of March, six weeks after a prominent humanitarian funder is halted, causing global disruption, a senior US official reveals that the lion's share of the organization's initiatives will be axed. Career diplomats, ex-presidents and humanitarian and health experts condemn the news, cautioning that people will die as a result. Human rights advocates say that the closure of the organization is not just a financial shortfall, it is a brutal assault on fundamental freedoms and birth control and maternal healthcare. Many organisations say the impact on girls and women will be severe by diminishing aid, especially in war zones. As the year ends, reports confirm how hundreds of thousands of people have already died from disease, starvation, lack of access to maternal care and gender-based violence, with millions more to come. Another pair of leading funders announce their own austerity measures. A leader of an international advocacy group says a decision to slash billions in overseas assistance is a move to appease a political ally. Conservative Religious Groups Lobby at UN Women Meeting In March, several conservative religious groups meet in an luxury Manhattan venue for a two-day conference held in parallel with the UN's flagship gender equality meeting. It is an chance to exchange strategies on how to defeat the UNâs âradical agendaâ. They are in buoyant mood as they welcome changes in American foreign policy on gender, diversity and abortion. Meanwhile, the world's top diplomat opens the gender equality forum with a grave caution that âthe venom of male dominanceâ is resurgent, after a analysis demonstrates that anti-rights actors are deliberately weakening longstanding consensus on fundamental freedoms for women around the world. African âFamily Valuesâ Conferences Over the summer, a cluster of meetings in Africa themed around the conventional household and state autonomy triggers anxiety among equality campaigners. In early May, a head of state and partner open a large assembly to resist what they label external influences undermining local norms. A few days later, another Pan-African conference on traditional morals is held. Both events are participated in by leading US and European anti-rights figures, including heads of influential networks. One speaker exhorts African NGOs to push back against âradical global social engineeringâ of global institutions. In June, a major religious institution hosts a gathering about supporting traditional households in the region, an event that reproductive rights advocates say has become an anti-LGBTQ, anti-gender platform. Activists observe that the level of external participation has expanded considerably. American Plan to Burn Birth Control As health facilities across Africa report they are running out of contraceptives, including prophylaxis for assault victims, the US announces in July plans to incinerate millions of dollars worth of contraceptives held in a European depot. A global sexual health network states that their destruction will deny countless females from access to birth control, and lead to a surge in unplanned pregnancies and dangerous terminations. The organization labels the plan an ideological decision âabout forcing a conservative worldview globallyâ and âa calculated move to control fertilityâ. A prominent medical humanitarian organization calls it âheartless and dangerousâ. NGOs offer to buy the contraceptives so they can reach their intended destinations, but the US declines every proposal. The situation remains unresolved as local authorities will not allow usable products to be destroyed. âGlobal Gag Ruleâ Expanded Bringing back the anti-abortion funding ban, which halts US aid to groups that offer, promote, or give information about abortion services overseas, is standard practice for certain US administrations. It was widely expected when the ban was reimposed in January. The administration also signed onto a conservative consensus document. But in the autumn, the US announces it intends to broaden the scope of the policy to include sovereign states and UN agencies in addition to NGOs, and to cover diversity programmes. More details on the expansion of the rule are expected in early 2026. A expert in child welfare says broadening the policy will have âdevastating consequencesâ. Reproductive justice campaigners fear that new US aid packages being arranged with states on the continent will become dependent on agreeing to the expanded global gag.
A year ago, organisations advocating for women's rights were anticipating a Trump presidency sequel. Hardly anyone anticipated. The torrent and swiftness of executive orders emanating from the White House were viewed as a premeditated approach to induce a state of shock. The tactic proved effective â there was disarray, outrage, and weariness as organisations scrambled to compensate for the loss left by a major funding freeze. But that was just the beginning. The Washington leadership has been the key driver, supported by fervent lobbying efforts by religious fundamentalist networks capitalizing on the climate to forge international alliances with sympathetic regimes. Often termed the anti-gender movement signifies a transnational grouping of elected officials, faith-based bodies, non-governmental organisations as well as wealthy philanthropists and dynasties that seek to undermine progress across a wide spectrum of issues. Areas targeted involve abortion, LGBTQ rights, trans rights, non-traditional family structures and comprehensive sexuality education. They achieve this through lobbying governments, supporting court cases, discrediting international efforts to push for parity, disseminating propaganda, and supporting ideologically-matched groups. We analyze five junctures that influenced the safety, dignity and lives of girls and women. USAID Effectively Dismantled In the month of March, six weeks after a prominent humanitarian funder is halted, causing global disruption, a senior US official reveals that the lion's share of the organization's initiatives will be axed. Career diplomats, ex-presidents and humanitarian and health experts condemn the news, cautioning that people will die as a result. Human rights advocates say that the closure of the organization is not just a financial shortfall, it is a brutal assault on fundamental freedoms and birth control and maternal healthcare. Many organisations say the impact on girls and women will be severe by diminishing aid, especially in war zones. As the year ends, reports confirm how hundreds of thousands of people have already died from disease, starvation, lack of access to maternal care and gender-based violence, with millions more to come. Another pair of leading funders announce their own austerity measures. A leader of an international advocacy group says a decision to slash billions in overseas assistance is a move to appease a political ally. Conservative Religious Groups Lobby at UN Women Meeting In March, several conservative religious groups meet in an luxury Manhattan venue for a two-day conference held in parallel with the UN's flagship gender equality meeting. It is an chance to exchange strategies on how to defeat the UNâs âradical agendaâ. They are in buoyant mood as they welcome changes in American foreign policy on gender, diversity and abortion. Meanwhile, the world's top diplomat opens the gender equality forum with a grave caution that âthe venom of male dominanceâ is resurgent, after a analysis demonstrates that anti-rights actors are deliberately weakening longstanding consensus on fundamental freedoms for women around the world. African âFamily Valuesâ Conferences Over the summer, a cluster of meetings in Africa themed around the conventional household and state autonomy triggers anxiety among equality campaigners. In early May, a head of state and partner open a large assembly to resist what they label external influences undermining local norms. A few days later, another Pan-African conference on traditional morals is held. Both events are participated in by leading US and European anti-rights figures, including heads of influential networks. One speaker exhorts African NGOs to push back against âradical global social engineeringâ of global institutions. In June, a major religious institution hosts a gathering about supporting traditional households in the region, an event that reproductive rights advocates say has become an anti-LGBTQ, anti-gender platform. Activists observe that the level of external participation has expanded considerably. American Plan to Burn Birth Control As health facilities across Africa report they are running out of contraceptives, including prophylaxis for assault victims, the US announces in July plans to incinerate millions of dollars worth of contraceptives held in a European depot. A global sexual health network states that their destruction will deny countless females from access to birth control, and lead to a surge in unplanned pregnancies and dangerous terminations. The organization labels the plan an ideological decision âabout forcing a conservative worldview globallyâ and âa calculated move to control fertilityâ. A prominent medical humanitarian organization calls it âheartless and dangerousâ. NGOs offer to buy the contraceptives so they can reach their intended destinations, but the US declines every proposal. The situation remains unresolved as local authorities will not allow usable products to be destroyed. âGlobal Gag Ruleâ Expanded Bringing back the anti-abortion funding ban, which halts US aid to groups that offer, promote, or give information about abortion services overseas, is standard practice for certain US administrations. It was widely expected when the ban was reimposed in January. The administration also signed onto a conservative consensus document. But in the autumn, the US announces it intends to broaden the scope of the policy to include sovereign states and UN agencies in addition to NGOs, and to cover diversity programmes. More details on the expansion of the rule are expected in early 2026. A expert in child welfare says broadening the policy will have âdevastating consequencesâ. Reproductive justice campaigners fear that new US aid packages being arranged with states on the continent will become dependent on agreeing to the expanded global gag.