The UK Foreign Secretary is currently making critical decisions about how much of the UK aid budget will go towards preventing violence and delivering survivor-centred justice overseas.
During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, will you join us in urging the Foreign Secretary to protect this vital funding?
The scale of abuse faced by women and girls is a global emergency. But life-saving UK aid helps to prevent violence, support survivors, and create a future where women and girls across the world can thrive.
The evidence is clear.
The Circle’s new report, Being Heard: Exploring justice priorities for women survivors of gender-based violence, with a foreword written by Circle Champion and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, shows just how vital justice is for women and girls living with the consequences of gender-based violence.
As final decisions are being made on UK aid allocations, we are calling on the Foreign Secretary to ensure:
- Funding for preventing gendered violence remains protected, along with funding for gender equality more broadly; and
- Commitments to promoting survivor-centred justice and prevention work continue to be central to the UK’s international development and women and girls’ strategies.
This is a moment to stand in solidarity with survivors and call on the UK government to reaffirm its promises to women and girls around the world.
Will you join us?
Sign the open letter
1 in 3 women and girls face violence in their lifetime. Join us in urging the UK government to protect funding to end violence and promote survivor-centred justice across the world.
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An Open Letter to the Foreign Secretary
Protect Funding to End Violence Against Women and Girls in the UK Aid Budget
Dear Foreign Secretary,
We are writing to urge you to protect and prioritise funding for efforts to end violence against women and girls within the UK aid budget at this critical juncture when difficult decisions are being made.
As you have rightly stated, the scale of abuse faced by women and girls is a global emergency, one that demands courage and conviction to address. Ensuring survivor-centred justice is key to a comprehensive approach to ending gendered violence.
The Circle’s recently launched report, Being Heard: Exploring justice priorities for women survivors of gender-based violence, demonstrates how essential – and multifaceted- justice is for survivors. It restores dignity, strengthens trust in institutions, and helps build safer, more equitable societies.
Prevention is equally vital. Every pound invested in stopping violence before it starts saves lives, strengthens communities, and creates a future where women and girls can thrive free from fear. Cutting this funding would reverse progress and abandon those who need support most.
UK aid programmes have played a vital role in preventing violence, supporting survivors, and driving systemic change for women and girls. Protecting the progress this funding has enabled is not only a moral and legal obligation; it is a strategic investment in peace, stability, and prosperity.
As final decisions are made on UK aid allocations, we call on you to ensure:
- Funding for preventing gendered violence remains protected, along with funding for gender equality more broadly; and
- Commitments to promoting survivor-centred justice and prevention work continue to be central to the UK’s international development and women and girls’ strategies.
This is a moment to reaffirm the UK’s leadership and uphold its promises to women and girls around the world.
This vital funding saves lives – please protect it.
Signed,
Annie Lennox
Livia Firth
Deborah Francis-White
Lucy Siegle
Ríoghnach Connolly
Misan Harriman
Melanie Hall
Mary Robinson
Paloma Faith
Adol Chagai Matet, Women Empowerment Alliance, South Sudan
Nosiphiwo Sojola, Nonceba, South Africa
Gervais Muderhwa, MKAAJI MPYA absl, DRC
Mukyala Zaituna, Women In Leadership, Uganda
Grace Dorong, Root of Generations, South Sudan
Rahela Sidiqi, Rahela Trust, Afghanistan
Bakare Opeyemi Nafisat, Webfala, Nigeria
Padmini Weerasuriya, Women’s Centre, Sri Lanka
Sukhvinder Kaur, Sikh Women’s Aid, UK
Delphine Uwamahoro, Our Sisters’ Opportunity, Rwanda
Aaliah Malik
Alexandra Gross
Alice Marmion
Alison Hoyle
Amber Culley
Amy Derham
Angele Martin
Ann Smith
Anna Crinnion
Ann-Marie O’Connor
Benedicte Goderiaux
Caley Powell-Mitchell-Dolby
Carol Anne Campbell
Caroline Sparke
Caroline Waring
Cat O’Leary
Charlotte Lawlor
Charly Robertson
Charmaine Wong
Chloe S
Claudia Craig
Danielle Malone
Deborah Aita
Edie Carswell
Eleonora Barbieri
Elisabetta Bevilacqua
Elizabeth Clarke
Elizabeth Armstrong
Ella Pugh
Els Rademaker-Bos
Emily Bengue
Farah Molotoo
Fiona Freund
Frances Brodrick
Gemma Scholtz
Gemma Poulton
Gemma Ewins
Georgette Thomas
Geraldine Lowe
Gisèle Marx
Grace Wilkinson
Helen Flint
Holly Friebel
I-Lan Hamilton
India Fallowfield
Iren Bartok
Jacquie Mercer
Jambaal Jeng
Jane Turner
Janettie Wucherpfennig
Janice Martin
Jean McLean
Jennifer Greene
Jill Scott
Jo Farr
John Raymond Jones
Julie G
Julie Whitehead
Kafia Omar
Kagina Laura
Kam Atwal
Karlie Strynadka
Katie Tostevin-Hobbs
Katja Müller
Kevin Mullan
Khairunissa Dhala
Laura Griffin
Leila Sifri
Lesley Emery
Leslie Swieck
Leyla Okhai
Lianne Fisher
Lisa Conisbee
Lisa Ball
Lou Whitener
Louise Addison Pereira
Louise Cusworth
Lydia Hongo
Madeline Teevan
Magdalena Drotar
Mahtab Hanjani
Manar Idriss
Margaret Gibson
Marion Forster
Mary de Sousa
Mary Evers
Mary Anne Belanger
Mathavakala Mathavan
Ms Tame
Muluka-Anne Miti-Drummond
Muneerah Lalani
Natalie Dunn-Lawson
Neena Dhillon
Nicky Bond
Nuria Guasch
Nuria Guasch
Paula Johnson
Phillipa Davies
Rachael Kelly
Rex Saldana
Roslyn Rennie
S Hill
Sam Sastry
Samantha McManus
Sandra Herbert
Sandra Maas
Sarah Kemp
Sarah Muirhead
Sarla Shah
Satin Limone
Sharmeen Ahmed
Sheela Adesara
Sue Turrell
Suze Penny
Tio Burnett Ainsworth
Tracey Collings
Tracy Doig
Victoria Orr Ewing
Violena Taseva
Wilma Hendriks
Yulia Rudko
Zillah Brink
