IOM sounds alarm: Unsafe housing leaves migrant women exposed to violence and exclusion
As the world paused on International Women’s Day to celebrate progress and renew commitments to gender equality, the International Organization for Migration chose the occasion to deliver a message that cuts through the ceremony, for millions of displaced and migrant women and girls, the most basic of human needs remains unmet.
The IOM warned that vast numbers of women and girls who have been uprooted by conflict, crisis, and displacement still lack access to safe and adequate shelter, a deficit that leaves them acutely exposed to violence, exploitation, and exclusion from the essential services that could help them rebuild their lives.
IOM Director-General Amy Pope framed the issue in terms that brooked no ambiguity.
“Inadequate living conditions increase exposure to violence and limit the ability to access support and rebuild. These risks must be addressed through sustained investment, stronger protection systems and solutions designed with communities themselves,” she said.
Women and girls account for nearly half of the world’s displaced population, yet millions among them continue to live in unsafe, overcrowded, or makeshift shelters that offer little protection and even less dignity. The consequences of that reality ripple outward in multiple directions. Many cannot access essential services because they lack identity documents. Others face insurmountable barriers when attempting to reclaim property upon returning home. And without stable housing, the ability to rebuild livelihoods, participate in community life, and protect oneself from harm is severely curtailed.
The land ownership gap compounds the vulnerability further. Globally, women own less than 20 percent of land, a disparity that leaves countless displaced women at heightened risk of eviction, secondary displacement, and exclusion from humanitarian assistance at precisely the moments when they need it most.
The IOM says it is working directly with women, community leaders, and local authorities to develop shelter programmes that are not only physically safe but contextually appropriate, designed to reflect the specific conditions and needs of the communities they serve. The organization’s approach combines emergency shelter provision with longer-term support for housing and land rights, recognizing that a temporary roof is not the same as genuine security.
Yet the effort is being hampered by a persistent and serious funding shortfall. Gaps in financing are limiting the reach of shelter and protection programmes, leaving significant numbers of women and girls in conditions that humanitarian standards should long ago have addressed.
As co-lead of the Global Shelter, Land and Site Coordination Cluster, the IOM is using its platform to push for something more than one-off interventions, it is calling on governments and humanitarian actors worldwide to commit to sustained action that places safe housing, legal protection, and equal access to land and property at the heart of every recovery effort.
The call, delivered on International Women’s Day, carries a pointed edge: celebrating women’s progress while millions remain without a safe place to sleep is a contradiction the world can no longer afford to ignore.
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