Fighting for Justice & Equality
Throughout the world, all women and girls face discrimination purely because of their gender. This takes the form of inequality, violence and exploitation.
With your donation, Comic Relief has been funding gender justice programmes since we began over 30 years ago and we are continuing to support women and girls' fight for justice and equality today.
Equality for women and girls - Paragraph Boxes
Gender-based violence is a global epidemic, with 1 in 3 women affected worldwide.
In England and Wales an average of two women are killed by their partner or ex-partner every week.
Women are hugely under-represented at policy-making levels throughout the world.
We believe that women and girls should have equal power and opportunity to make decisions at all levels. The idea that some of us are worth less because of our gender leads to real violence, abuse and discrimination.
Every day, structural inequalities affect women and girls’ lives all over the world. Millions experience discrimination, are unable to access the same level of education as their male peers, and face violence based on their gender. Harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM) persist across the world, including the UK. Women are also far more likely to be in unpaid domestic work or jobs that have very low wages and no path for career progression.
Working with our partners, we can and will reduce violence and intimidation against people in their own homes, and support women and girls who face injustice based on their gender.
Read their stories
Your donations make a very real difference to people in the UK and around the world. Read how people are changing their lives with your support.
Harbour Support Services
Harbour Support Services supports the mothers and children living in the refuges across Northeast England, and Comic Relief funds two early years practitioners who support women who are pregnant or with children under school age.
Meet Pendo
She’s just joined a course near her home on the coast of Kenya – and it could change her family’s life.
See our other focus areas
See our other areas of focus - women & girls
CHILDREN SURVIVE & THRIVE
Every year, millions of children die before their fifth birthday. We help children survive – tackling hunger, disease and abuse. And we help them thrive, working to give them the best possible start in life so they can play, learn and grow up healthy and strong.
BETTER MENTAL HEALTH
Every year, close to 1 billion people worldwide experience mental health problems. We help people get access to mental health services. We work to tackle the stigma people with mental health conditions so often face. And we push for governments to do more.
SAFE PLACE TO BE
1 in 5 people around the world don’t have a safe place to be. We make sure people find a safe place to call home. We also challenge negative attitudes to homelessness and migration.
Sources:
1st statistic: https://www.who.int/health-topics/violence-against-women(opens in new window)
3rd statistic: https://data.ipu.org/women-averages(opens in new window)