Terre des Hommes Italia reports decline in girls' rights

Terre des Hommes Italia reports a global decline in the rights of girls and women due to cuts in international development aid. According to the organization's 2026 Indifesa dossier, nearly all indicators have worsened for the first time in 15 years, reversing decades of progress in education, health, and gender-based violence prevention.

The report highlights several specific impacts of these funding reductions. In 2025, more than 4 million girls were left without prevention programs for early marriage, and up to 12 million women and girls face losing access to essential services to combat gender-based violence. Regarding education, the organization warns that an additional 6 million children could be excluded from school by the end of 2026 compared to 2024 levels.

Health services have also seen significant setbacks. The dossier states that the closure of nearly 1,400 sexual and reproductive health clinics has left 9 million people without access to care. Additionally, access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis has dropped by 38% in 62 countries, while funding for condoms has been reduced by as much as 90% in some areas.

Paolo Ferrara, the director general of Terre des Hommes Italia, attributed these dramatic figures to specific political choices and noted that new alliances are necessary to reverse the trend. Africa is identified as the continent most affected by these declines.