Gender-based Violence (GBV) is a global pandemic existing in all social groups across the globe, yet it has largely been ignored in the COVID-19 response and recovery plans.

The pandemic has seen a reported increase in cases of GBV – especially intimate partner violence – that has led to the loss of lives, injuries, anxiety, emotional distress, and more. During lockdowns, GBV helplines reported an increase by 25-111 percent in calls in some countries.

The impact of the pandemic has deepened long-standing gender gaps in the economy: with women more likely to drop out of the labour force. The global employment loss lost women $800 billion in income in 2020. An additional 47 million more women worldwide are expected to fall into extreme poverty in 2021. Economic insecurity due to mass unemployment, directly linked to the pandemic, has increased women’s vulnerability to violence in the home.

As this paper shows, GBV is an ignored pandemic that needs a systemic and intersectional response more than ever. In countries across the world, the coronavirus has shown that, when spurred to action, governments can take extraordinary measures to meet people’s human rights. 

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gender-based violence inequality