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UN Says Violence Against Women has Worsened During Pandemic

violence against women
UN calls for the elimination of violence against women by 2030, Credit: Smuconlaw.  Attribution-Share Alike 4.0/Wikipedia

On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a new report by the UN says that incidents have increased during the pandemic.

The report, released by UN Women, highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s safety at home and in public spaces. It shows that women’s feelings of safety have been eroded, leading to significant negative impacts on their mental and emotional well-being.

The report comes as the world kicks off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from 25 November to 10 December, under the global theme set by the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE campaign, “Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!”

Femicide, or the killing of women by men, is a worldwide phenomenon, but the 13 femicide cases recorded in the first nine months of 2021 in Greece are a mind-blowing number.

A pandemic of violence against women UN report says

“Violence against women is an existing global crisis that thrives on other crises. Conflict, climate-related natural disasters, food insecurity and human rights violations all contribute to women and girls living with a sense of danger, even in their own homes, neighborhoods, or communities,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated isolation and social distancing, enabled a second, shadow pandemic of violence against women and girls, where they often found themselves in lockdown with their abusers. Our new data underlines the urgency of concerted efforts to end this,” she added.

50% of women reported a form of violence during the pandemic

The new UN Women report, “Measuring the shadow pandemic: Violence against women during COVID-19”, based on survey data from 13 countries, shows that almost 1 in 2 women reported that they or a woman they know experienced a form of violence since the COVID-19 pandemic. Women who reported this were 1.3 times more likely to report increased mental and emotional stress than women who did not.

The findings also revealed that about 1 in 4 women are feeling less safe at home while existing conflict has increased within households since the pandemic started. When women were asked why they felt unsafe at home, they cited physical abuse as one of the reasons (21 percent). Some women specifically reported that they were hurt by other family members (21 percent) or that other women in the household were being hurt (19 percent).

Outside their homes, women are also feeling more exposed to violence, with 40 percent of respondents saying they feel less safe walking around alone at night since the onset of COVID-19. About 3 in 5 women also think that sexual harassment in public spaces has gotten worse during COVID-19.

UN calls for the elimination of violence by 2030

Socioeconomic stressors such as financial pressure, employment, food insecurity and family relations stood out as having a significant impact not only on experiences of safety (or violence) but also on women’s well-being overall, the UN report says.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for the elimination of violence against women and girls by 2030.

“Violence against women is not inevitable. The right policies and programs bring results,” he said.

“Change is possible, and now is the time to redouble our efforts so that together, we can eliminate violence against women and girls by 2030,” rallied Guterres.

Related:

A Message of Love: Femicide Video Goes Viral in Greece

Twelve Femicides in Greece in Less than A Year: Experts Respond

 

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