Venezuela

Venezuela’s security deterioration has disproportionately affected women and girls, who face escalating gender-based violence amid state collapse and impunity. The economic crisis has driven increased rates of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and survival sex work, particularly among Venezuelan migrants and internally displaced populations, while maternal mortality has surged due to healthcare system breakdown. Armed non-state actors—including militias and organized criminal gangs—exercise territorial control in border regions and urban areas, subjecting women and girls to systematic sexual violence, forced recruitment, and exploitation with minimal state protection or justice mechanisms available to survivors. Colombian armed groups, including the National Liberation Army, also operate in numerous Venezuelan states. Despite notable female leaders, women lack comprehensive inclusion throughout Venezuela’s political system. However, women are vital grassroots and community leaders, oftentimes while juggling employment and caregiving responsibilities. Women have also been instrumental to pro-democracy movements, comprising more than half of electoral witnesses at polling stations during the 2024 election. Women-led organizations are also on the frontlines of humanitarian response, human rights protection, and advocacy both at home and from exile. 

Given political precarity, women and girls are likely to encounter an increasingly volatile and unsafe environment with little support and insufficient humanitarian aid. Uncertainty and possible economic blockages risk further elevating food prices and worsening poverty—outcomes which would disproportionately harm women-headed households. Following a surge in repression immediately following Maduro’s capture, continued arrests and intimidation are likely to further undermine women’s safety and wellbeing. Conflict may also increase as armed actors—including Venezuelan paramilitaries referred to as colectivos, gangs, and Colombian armed groups—become emboldened. Competition over territory and control over illicit economies remains a particular threat to women and girls in borderland areas. These conditions may push more women and girls to flee regardless of the reduction in displacement resources following foreign aid cuts. Despite these challenges, women continue to respond by taking up roles as breadwinners, community leaders, and activists. 

The implementation of Venezuela’s February 2026 Amnesty Law has slowed, with hundreds of individuals reportedly remaining in detention amid continued arbitrary arrests and re-arrests of activists. Prison conditions remain dire, underscored by a deadly April 2026 riot at Yare III prison that left at least five inmates dead, reflecting persistent overcrowding, lack of medical care, and systemic abuse. Prolonged uncertainty and lack of transparency surrounding the status of detainees places disproportionate burdens on women, who are often responsible for sustaining households and leading advocacy efforts on behalf of detained relatives. The continued detention of activists—including women—and the threat of arbitrary imprisonment contribute to shrinking civic space, which can deter women’s political participation and leadership. These dynamics reinforce gendered patterns of insecurity and economic strain, while undermining inclusive governance and trust in state institutions during a fragile political transition.

Venezuela’s efforts to open its oil sector to foreign investment and expand production—including new deals with US companies—have raised governance and protection concerns amid the promise of economic progress. Rapid expansion in extractive industries risks fueling informal and exploitative labor, including in illicit economies which frequently emerge near drilling sites. At the same time, environmental degradation linked to oil production risks further undermining agricultural livelihoods and access to clean water, compounding existing vulnerabilities. These dynamics are unfolding in a context of widespread poverty and food insecurity; without clear safeguards, oil expansion risks reinforcing gendered inequalities and limiting the potential for economic gains to translate into inclusive recovery.

Women continue to call out perceived impunity and the absence of comprehensive transitional justice mechanisms, including the lack of recognition and reparation for suffering caused by the Maduro regime. Although Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez has replaced key Maduro aides and restructured the military, much of the regime remains intact. This may forestall meaningful accountability for abuses—including arbitrary detentions, sexual violence, and disappearances—committed under Maduro.

Continued dollar shortages have caused basic goods to grow scarce or more expensive, with small and medium-sized businesses reportedly hardest hit. Women comprise a significant portion of early-state entrepreneurs in Venezuela, meaning currency shortages and persistent inflation may restrict their ability to earn income as well as purchase necessary goods.

 Hundreds of women marched on International Women’s Day, demanding the release of political prisoners and accountability for abuses. In addition to the release of political prisoners, small instances of defiance—including the airing of comments from Maria Corina Machado on television and student protests—have stretched previous limits on freedom of speech. Women are visible in these efforts, including on the frontlines of recent student demonstrations. This possible loosening of restrictions comes after a sharp crackdown in the days immediately following Maduro’s capture.