Oxfam’s global report for the #16daysofactivism ‘The Assault of Austerity’ highlights that globally, by 2023, 85% of the world’s population will live in the grip of austerity. Austerity measures by governments, from cutting public funds for health, education, social protection, care services or services for gender-based violence (GBV) have a highly gendered impact and are a form of gender-based violence. Women not only bear the direct brunt of these policies by losing jobs in greater numbers, being forced into more precarious occupations or having to live in extreme poverty, but are also forced to pick up the tab to provide the services from which governments have withdrawn, such as child care, elder care, nursing of the sick and helping families and communities to cope with resulting stress. Though feminists have been highlighting these structural forms of GBV, it has always been difficult to explain the connections and make common ground with all those campaigning to eliminate poverty, to end hunger, for better social security, for progressive taxation policies and the gendered implications of these even as recovery from a COVID hit economy is one of our biggest challenges. This year Oxfam’s campaign #AlsoViolence helped us bring concerns of structural violence squarely out there for discussion, explain those connections in a relatable language and break out of the silos of what is and isn’t GBV. However, there is very little funding for this kind of work which goes beyond directly visible forms of GBV, to highlighting which policies are implicated in perpetuating gender-based violence. We need the donor community to start making these connections and expanding funds and scope to fund concerns of structural violence. In a situation where funding for women’s rights organisations falls short distinctly, it is even more difficult to find funds for such work.

At the same time, it is equally important to highlight the direct physical, sexual, emotional, and financial violence faced by women at all times, due to the sheer domination of men and masculinist patriarchal structures and institutions. The COVID crisis only made it more visible. It is important to keep highlighting such GBV and not allow the extreme levels of violence women face to be normalized. Austerity measures have directly affected GBV prevention programs, women’s access to crisis support centres, short stay homes and other facilities and reduced funds to address GBV in multiple countries. Our experience is that two-pronged strategies which include a direct focus on GBV that also show its structural linkages work best to push society and policymakers to action.

Making change happen on the ground is a complex and lengthy process, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach that is possible. Grants narrowly focused on few strategies to prevent or address GBV to the exclusion of a more comprehensive understanding of women’s lived realities may miss how changes in different spheres can work together to empower women. Feminist organisations shouldn’t have to demonstrate why they work on so many different fronts which touch upon women’s lives and not have a narrow specialized focus of work. The funding community need to be able to make flexible funding available so that organisations can tailor their programs to their particular contexts, of which they are the experts.

They also need to be committed to influence their back funders to enable this process. Many feminist organisations were agile and creative in using their funds to support women during the COVID crisis, usually playing this part not enabled by but in spite of their particular grants. Such responses need to be enabled and flexibilities need to be built into the funds and grants made available. Women’s Rights Organisations need to be able to feel empowered to make those necessary changes to their programs which are compelled by circumstances. This becomes possible when the grants, philanthropies and donor community explicitly acknowledge women’s leadership in the process, and allow themselves to be led by women’s experiences.

Amita Pitre is with the Strategy and Feminist Futures Department of Oxfam International Secretariate