Her Future at Risk

In conflict-affected Ukraine, women and girls face growing threats to their safety, health, and dignity due to inadequate WASH infrastructure. Facilities often lack gender-segregated, lockable toilets and lighting, increasing risk of sexual violence. Access to hygiene essentials—especially menstrual products—has sharply declined, hitting female-headed households hardest. Hygiene kits frequently overlook the needs of older women, adolescent girls, and people with disabilities. Despite these challenges, the HNRP April 2025 reprioritisation cut WASH and GBV programs in many areas. While life-saving activities continue, broader recovery efforts remain underfunded and uneven. This study, part of Her Future at Risk by WeWorld, explores the gendered impact of WASH response in Ukraine. It highlights how the conflict has deepened inequalities and reshaped gender roles and decision-making power. Women’s involvement in WASH governance is often tokenistic, with local groups sidelined and under-resourced. Critical links between WASH, GBV, and sexual/reproductive health are poorly integrated in the response. Women’s unpaid labour fills service gaps, yet their expertise is rarely recognised or leveraged. The report calls for gender-transformative WASH: safe, inclusive systems driven by affected communities, especially by women. It urges investment in local leadership, inclusive infrastructure, and adaptive, intersectional programming. Embedding gender equity in WASH is essential to build resilient, just systems for Ukraine’s recovery