SAYING NO TO VIOLENCE IN THE WAKE OF THE SHADOW PANDEMIC
Zonta clubs of Düsseldorf I & II, Offenburg
Zonta Club of Accra-Jubilee
Zonta Club of Ilocos Norte
Zonta Club of Maryborough
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, another destructive wave has emerged. Dubbed the “Shadow Pandemic” by UN Women, violence against women and girls has increased at an alarming rate. Prior to the pandemic, one in three women worldwide would have experienced physical or sexual violence mostly by an intimate partner. Even within the year before COVID-19 emerged, it was estimated that 243 million women and girls, aged 15-49, experienced sexual and/or physical violence by an intimate partner. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, UN Women has published emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, showing that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, have intensified. As a result, n C alls
to helplines have increased five-fold in some countries as rates of reported intimate partner violence increase because of the pandemic. Restricted movement, social isolation and economic insecurity are increasing women’s vulnerability to violence in the home around the world.
n R esponse
plans were changed and by September 2020, 52 countries had integrated prevention and response to violence against women and girls into COVID-19 response plans, and 121 countries had adopted measures to strengthen services for women survivors of violence during the global crisis, but more efforts are urgently needed.
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THE ZONTIAN • JUNE 2021
