"She would say 'put me to sleep sitting up or give me food once a day,' recalls Lisseth. 'I can't go back.' The 22-year-old's voice echoing in her head represents the human cost of losing funding for her shelters. The young woman had come after being assaulted psychologically, physically, and sexually by a partner who possessed weapons and threatened to kill her."
"One in three women—more than 700 million women—have experienced, at some point in their lifetime, physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner, according to the World Health Organization. This situation is strikingly common, highlighting the widespread need for shelter services and support systems for abuse survivors globally."
Lisseth, a Honduran activist who has spent 30 years fighting violence against women, founded shelters to help abuse survivors escape dangerous situations. In 2025, reduced U.S. foreign aid created severe budget shortfalls, forcing the shelters to turn away women in need. One 22-year-old survivor, who had fled physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, faced impossible choices between sleeping sitting up or eating once daily. Lisseth uses only her middle name to protect future funding prospects. The situation reflects a global crisis: one in three women experience intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organization. The funding cuts directly undermine years of progress in providing critical support services.
Read at www.npr.org
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