Invisible Violence: Why Mothers Must Be Recognised in the Fight Against Gender-Based Abuse

The following summarises MMM’s written response to the call for input on violence against mothers issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against women, Reem Alsalem – a response which is largely based on input received from 8 of our grassroots members, namely Associations des Familles Monoparentales (ADFM, France), AMECEF (Haiti), Mulheres à Obra (Portugal), Mom Got a Job Foundation (Bulgaria), Mouvement OTITSARA (Madagascar), Life for African Mothers (Sierra Leone), Mothers for Peace (Afghanistan), and Maternity and Midwife Support (MMS, Democratic Republic of Congo).

Motherhood, a hidden dimension of gender-based violence

While violence against women is globally recognised as a human rights violation, the specific violence experienced by women because they are mothers remains largely invisible in law, policy, and data. Our submission argues that motherhood often intensifies women’s exposure to multiple, intersecting forms of harm—economic, institutional, social, physical, and psychological – rooted in entrenched gender inequality and reinforced by social norms that idealise maternal sacrifice.

Evidence from our grassroots member organisations across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean shows that women who are mothers face structural discrimination that limits their autonomy and increases vulnerability.

Economic and institutional barriers trapping mothers

Economic violence is particularly pervasive: the unequal distribution of unpaid care work restricts mothers’ access to decent employment, leading to financial dependence and exclusion from social protection. Discriminatory hiring practices, a motherhood wage gap, and lack of flexible work further entrench inequality, while gaps in child maintenance enforcement and social security systems leave many—especially single mothers—economically insecure.

Institutional and legal systems frequently fail to protect mothers or even exacerbate their vulnerability. Family courts may prioritise formal co-parenting arrangements over safety, even in cases involving domestic violence. Welfare systems often penalise mothers, particularly those in single-parent households, while administrative barriers and discriminatory practices limit access to justice, housing, and public services. These systemic failures reflect deep-rooted biases embedded in legal and policy frameworks.

Violence in private and public spheres

Mothers also experience heightened exposure to interpersonal violence. Intimate partner violence often begins or escalates during pregnancy and the postpartum period, with severe consequences for both maternal and child health.

In healthcare settings, obstetric and reproductive violence—including neglect, coercion, and abuse—violates women’s dignity and right to health. Preventable maternal mortality and untreated maternal mental health conditions further illustrate how systemic neglect can amount to forms of violence.

Intergenerational impacts on children

The impacts extend beyond mothers themselves. Hundreds of millions of children live in households where their mothers experience violence, leading to long-term psychological, behavioural, and social consequences. These patterns perpetuate intergenerational cycles of violence and inequality.

Unequal risks and extreme situations

Certain groups of mothers face intersecting risks, including single mothers, adolescent mothers, mothers with disabilities, and migrant or refugee mothers. Stigma, poverty, and legal precarity intensify their exposure to abuse and exclusion. In extreme contexts such as Afghanistan, mothers face near-total erasure of rights, with severe restrictions on mobility, healthcare, and autonomy

A call for recognition and action

Despite strong international legal frameworks, including obligations under CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, implementation gaps persist.

Our submission calls for explicit recognition of violence against mothers as a distinct form of gender-based violence. It urges states to improve data collection, reform social protection and family justice systems, ensure respectful maternity care, and invest in targeted, context-sensitive support services.

Ultimately, protecting mothers is essential not only for gender equality but for the wellbeing of children and societies as a whole.

  Read MMM’s full response

The Special rapporteur also conducted an online consultation in which we participated, which focused more on recommendations and good practices, and where among others we called for addressing the inequitable distribution of unpaid care work and involving fathers in caregiving as being part of the solution.

At MMM, we are very much looking forward to the forthcoming publication of the Special Rapporteur’s report, which will be the first UN report to focus on motherhood as a specific factor of vulnerability.