Responding to the Shadow Pandemic: Taking stock of gender-based violence risks and responses during COVID-19

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Gender-based violence is a problem of human rights, public health and development. It is also a problem that has had devastating effects for women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic. This real-time emergent learning brief has been prepared for UNICEF country offices and practitioners as they respond to gender-based violence during the pandemic. Drawing on evidence from current country experiences, the brief identifies emerging risks related to gender-based violence; highlights programme responses and adaptations; and…

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Covid-19 Is a Feminist Issue

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Across the Asia-Pacific and around the globe, there is emerging evidence that Covid-19 is having a disproportionate impact on women and girls, particularly women of color, including on their economic opportunities, rights and security, and voice and leadership in decision-making. Tough measures to control the disease—such as closing businesses, restricting personal freedoms, and reducing community interaction—have caused fear, anxiety, and crushing economic uncertainty, all of which are shown to contribute to violence against women and…

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‘I have nothing to feed my family…’ COVID-19 risk pathways for adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries

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This is the first in a series of briefs. It focuses on the short-term effects of covid-19 and associated lockdowns on adolescent girls and boys in LMICs. The next brief will focus on the effects of the pandemic six months after lockdowns. The authors draw on AGIP’s covid-19 risks and opportunities for adolescent girls framework, focusing on six key domains: health; education and learning; livelihoods and social protection; age- and gender-based violence; water and sanitation;…

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Times of unprecedented crisis present unique opportunities for unprecedented action

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The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed massive inequalities within our societies and has brought to light the unique burdens that women globally carry. As we respond to the impacts of COVID-19, both in the immediate and long term, we have an unprecedented opportunity to completely redesign our ways of living through innovative and large-scale action that can cater for the magnitude of transforming the African continent. The allocation of response resources should be dually focused on…

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A better normal: Girls call for a revolutionary reset

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The pre-COVID-19 world undeniably failed girls and young women, in all our diversities. It failed to protect us, it failed to listen to us, and it failed to empower us. These failures have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Girls have been removed from schools, with many unlikely to return. We know too that they are experiencing increasing levels of family and gender-based violence, as well as harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriage/unions…

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COVID-19 and Conflict: Advancing women’s meaningful participation in ceasefires and peace processes

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This brief addresses the importance of women’s full, equal and meaningful participation to an effective pandemic response and to peacemaking efforts, and how the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda can provide a critical framework for inclusive decision-making and sustainable solutions. While efforts to flatten the pandemic’s curve unfold around the globe, violent conflict remains a deadly reality for far too many people. In March, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General called for a global ceasefire…

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African Girls in the COVID-19 pandemic

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As countries across Africa experience the impact of COVID-19 across health systems, economies and communities, progress made in the last decade in achieving the rights of adolescent girls’ risks being lost. African governments must act in urgency to address this “invisible crisis” and protect the important gains made to protect, and empower girls over the last decade. COVID-19, an unfolding global health crisis, is revealing a grim impact on millions of adolescent girls across Africa….

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The impact of COVID-19 on women and girls in South Sudan

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In this blog, Flora Francis Bringi reflects on the social impact of COVID-19 on South Sudanese women and girls. Drawing on her work in the field of Gender with a number of South Sudanese NGOs including her current appointment as Managing Director for Ana Fii Consultancy, Flora highlights some social problems that South Sudanese women and girls face in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Sudan and shares some insights for the adoption…

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Checklist for a Human Rights-Based Approach to Socio-Economic Country Responses to COVID-19

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To help countries tackle the devastating social and economic dimensions of the pandemic, with a focus on at-risk groups, the UN issued the UN framework for the immediate socio- economic response to COVID-19 (SERF) in April 2020. The SERF sets out the strategy and blueprint for the UN’s urgent socio-economic response to countries and societies in the face of COVID-19. Organized by the five streams of work that constitute the SERF (Health First; Protecting People;…

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How to Integrate Gender into Socio-Economic Assessments

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The COVID‑19 crisis is affecting everyone, but women and girls are being differently impacted and could face disproportionate economic, health and social risks. These gender-differentiated socio-economic risks must be recognized for an effective COVID-19 response and recovery. This in-depth checklist can be used to guide UNDP Country Offices, UN sister agencies, countries and other partners to ensure that key gender equality considerations are taken into account when conducting a Social and Economic Impact Assessment and…

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