PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Telephone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: info@saveservices.org
United Nations Policies Silence Male Victims of Violence
March 25, 2026 — This past January witnessed violent anti-government uprisings in various parts of Iran. The Human Rights Activists News Agency reported 7,007 deaths during the protests, of whom an estimated 90–97% were male. However, some human rights organizations primarily highlighted female casualties in their reporting (1).
Why are male victims so often overlooked in global responses to violence?
Men and boys accounted for 81% of homicide victims worldwide, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (2). Yet they are not specifically addressed in many global violence prevention frameworks.
In conflict settings, men and boys are disproportionately affected by direct violence. Studies show that males account for between 78% and 90% of civilian casualties (3). In recent conflicts, including Ukraine, estimates suggest that up to 94% of those killed were men (4).
Within the United Nations system, major policy frameworks—such as the Women, Peace and Security agenda—focus primarily on women and girls (5). Men and boys have been referenced in more recent resolutions, including their explicit recognition in 2013 (6). However, they remain a secondary focus.
Men and boys are typically grouped within broader categories such as “youth” or “civilians.” The Youth, Peace and Security agenda, for example, defines youth by age (7) and does not identify male victims as a distinct group.
UN initiatives often engage men in preventing violence against women and girls (8), rather than as direct beneficiaries of protection-focused programs. At the same time, the UN has developed specialized frameworks addressing violence against women and girls, supported by dedicated structures and funding (9). These include programs such as Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces and the Spotlight Initiative, launched in 2017 with €500 million in funding.
Institutional frameworks are designed to address violence affecting women and girls (10)(11)(12). However, no clearly defined global framework focused specifically on male victims has been identified.
Funding reflects this gap. The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women has allocated over $252.8 million to 725 initiatives across 140 countries and territories since 1996 (13). No comparable allocation has been identified for male-focused initiatives.
The gap is clear. Men and boys make up the majority of victims of lethal violence globally, yet are not consistently recognized as a distinct category within major policy frameworks.
The ICMB calls on lawmakers, policymakers, and the media to acknowledge this gap and ensure that violence prevention efforts reflect the full reality of those most affected.
The International Council for Men and Boys is a non-governmental organization working to end the 12 sex disparities that affect men and boys worldwide. The ICMB is a leader of the emerging global movement to address the 12 areas of male disadvantage. https://www.menandboys.net/
Links:
1.https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=2036567988137013521
2.https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/global-study-on-homicide.html
3.https://www.justsecurity.org/104722/gender-battlefield-bias-civilian-men/?utm
4.https://smallarmssurvey.medium.com/russias-war-weighing-the-human-cost-in-ukraine-9ecc73a41987?utm
5.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_2106?utm
6https://www.wilpf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AfricaPolicyBrief_August2024_Web.pdf?utm
7https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/policy-issues-and-partnerships/policy/youth
8.https://knowledge.unwomen.org/en/topics/ending-violence-against-women/men-and-boys
9.https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women
10.https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peace-and-security
11.https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal5
12.https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/gsh/Booklet_5.pdf
13.https://www.unwomen.org/en/trust-funds/un-trust-fund-to-end-violence-against-women
A review of the publicly available UN education initiatives analyzed for this release may be accessed here:
https://grok.com/share/c2hhcmQtMi1jb3B5_9c145a10-be0d-4309-b7c3-c4dbd35be611
The ICMB analysis of the United Nations is available here:
https://www.menandboys.net/un-2/