[PDFlist] Fwd: [STATEMENT] Violence against Women and Girls: the Shadow Pandemic, from UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

Wed Apr 8 02:37:46 MDT 2020

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From: UN Women <no-reply at info.unwomen.org>
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2020 at 05:45
Subject: [STATEMENT] Violence against Women and Girls: the Shadow Pandemic,
from UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
To: <lanysmile85 at gmail.com>

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*Violence against women and girls: the shadow pandemic Statement by
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women *

With 90 countries in lockdown, four billion people are now sheltering at
home from the global contagion of COVID-19. It’s a protective measure, but
it brings another deadly danger. We see a shadow pandemic growing, of
violence against women.

As more countries report infection and lockdown, more domestic violence
helplines and shelters across the world are reporting rising calls for
help. In Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom (1),
and the United States (2), government authorities, women’s rights activists
and civil society partners have flagged increasing reports of domestic
violence during the crisis, and heightened demand for emergency shelter (3
,4 ,5). Helplines in Singapore (6) and Cyprus have registered an increase
in calls by more than 30 percent (7). In Australia, 40 per cent of
frontline workers in a New South Wales survey reported increased
requestsfor help with violence that was escalating in intensity (8).

Confinement is fostering the tension and strain created bysecurity, health,
and money worries. And it is increasing isolation for women with violent
partners, separating them from the people and resources that can best help
them. It’s a perfect storm for controlling, violent behaviour behind closed
doors. And in parallel, as health systems are stretching to breaking point,
domestic violence shelters are also reaching capacity, a service deficit
made worse when centres are repurposed for additional COVID-response.

Even before COVID-19 existed, domestic violence was already one of the
greatest human rights violations. In the previous 12 months, 243 million
women and girls (aged 15-49) across the world have been subjected to sexual
or physical violence by an intimate partner. As the COVID-19 pandemic
continues, this number is likely to grow with multiple impacts on women’s
wellbeing, their sexual and reproductive health, their mental health, and
their ability to participate and lead in the recovery of our societies and
economy.

Wide under-reporting of domestic and other forms of violence has previously
made response and data gathering a challenge, with less than 40 per cent of
women who experience violence seeking help of any sort or reporting the
crime. Less than 10 per cent of those women seeking help go to the police.
The current circumstances make reporting even harder, including limitations
on women’s and girls’ access to phones and helplines and disrupted public
services like police, justice and social services. These disruptions may
also be compromising the care and support that survivors need, like
clinical management of rape, and mental health and psycho-social support.
They also fuel impunity for the perpetrators. In many countries the law is
not on women’s side; 1 in 4 countries have no laws specifically protecting
women from domestic violence.

If not dealt with, this shadow pandemic will also add to the economic
impact of COVID-19. The global cost of violence against women had
previously been estimated at approximately US$1.5 trillion. That figure can
only be rising as violence increases now, and continues in the aftermath of
the pandemic.

The increase in violence against women must be dealt with urgently with
measures embedded in economic support and stimulus packages that meet the
gravity and scale of the challenge and reflect the needs of women who face
multiple forms of discrimination. The Secretary-General has called for all
governments to make the prevention and redress of violence against women a
key part of their national response plans for COVID-19. Shelters and
helplines for women must be considered an essential service for every
country with specific funding and broad efforts made to increase awareness
about their availability.

Grassroots and women’s organizations and communities have played a critical
role in preventing and responding to previous crises and need to be
supported strongly in their current frontline role including with funding
that remains in the longer-term. Helplines, psychosocial support and online
counselling should be boosted, using technology-based solutions such as
SMS, online tools and networks to expand social support, and to reach women
with no access to phones or internet.  Police andjustice services must
mobilize to ensure that incidents of violence against women and girls are
given high priority with no impunity for perpetrators. The private sector
also has an important role to play, sharing information, alerting staff to
the facts and the dangers of domestic violence and encouraging positive
steps like sharing care responsibilities at home.

COVID-19 is already testing us in ways most of us have never previously
experienced, providing emotional and economic shocks that we are struggling
to rise above. The violence that is emerging now as a dark feature of this
pandemicis a mirror and a challenge to our values, our resilience and
shared humanity. We must not only survive the coronavirus, but emerge
renewed, with women as a powerful force at the centre of recovery.

Spanish and French versions are available at www.unwomen.org/es
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=e0c6943eab&e=d2f4347cf6>
and www.unwomen.org/fr
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=a9423daa8d&e=d2f4347cf6>

*Additional resources at UN Women website
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=bf3e7b8c32&e=d2f4347cf6>:
*

   - *Infographic:* The Shadow Pandemic: Violence Against Women and Girls
   and COVID-19
   <https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=66b282f1cb&e=d2f4347cf6>
   - *Technical brief:* COVID-19 and Ending Violence against Women and Girls
   <https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=00a86894a3&e=d2f4347cf6>

[1] “Coronavirus: I'm in lockdown with my abuser”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52063755
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=2337d84d43&e=d2f4347cf6>,
accessed 3rd April 2020
[2] “Domestic violence cases escalating quicker in time of COVID-19”
https://missionlocal.org/2020/03/for-victims-of-domestic-violence-sheltering-in-place-can-mean-more-abuse
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=e30e904152&e=d2f4347cf6>,
accessed 3rd April
[3] Lockdowns around the world bring rise in domestic violence”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/28/lockdowns-world-rise-domestic-violence
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=a11b119c01&e=d2f4347cf6>,
accessed 3rd April 2020
[4]” Domestic violence cases jump 30% during lockdown in France”
https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/28/domestic-violence-cases-jump-30-during-lockdown-in-france
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=78235d6d43&e=d2f4347cf6>,
accessed 3rd April 2020
[5] “During quarantine, calls to 144 for gender violence increased by 25%”
http://www.diario21.tv/notix2/movil2/?seccion=desarrollo_nota&id_nota=132124
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=d041ffeca7&e=d2f4347cf6>,
accessed 2nd April 2020
[6] “Commentary: Isolated with your abuser? Why family violence seems to be
on the rise during COVID-19 outbreak”,
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/coronavirus-covid-19-family-violence-abuse-women-self-isolation-12575026
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=64c8a71180&e=d2f4347cf6>,
accessed 2nd April 2020
[7] “Lockdowns around the world bring rise in domestic violence”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/28/lockdowns-world-rise-domestic-violence
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=e73cfcf668&e=d2f4347cf6>,
accessed 3rd April 2020
[8] “Domestic Violence Spikes During Coronavirus As Families Trapped At
Home”
https://10daily.com.au/news/australia/a200326zyjkh/domestic-violence-spikes-during-coronavirus-as-families-trapped-at-home-20200327
<https://unwomen.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ff9f2a2de058fd0d00c70a2ba&id=4a5569d16c&e=d2f4347cf6>,
accessed 2nd April 2020

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