Continued economic insecurity and movement restrictions are still driving increased violence against women and girls, the UN Trust Fund said in its latest assessment of Covid-19 impact on women and girls.
The UN Trust Fund had in its initial assessment noted that violence against women and girls surged as countries introduced lockdown measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Women and girls reported increased levels of sexual violence as the most prevalent form of violence during the protracted crisis, according to the assessment.
It was also learnt that online harassment and harmful traditional practices were on the rise in some communities, based on the responses of over 100 civil society organisations (CSOs) operating in 69 countries and territories worldwide.
‘In several contexts, CSOs have not yet been recognised as essential specialist service providers in preventing and ending violence against women and girls despite the fact that they have often been the first responders during the pandemic’, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at UN Trust Fund, Shruti Majumdar, said.
‘Their participation, leadership, and adequate funding will be crucial in realising national Covid-19 response plans’.
The UN Trust Fund stated that in order to end the violence against women and girls amidst the pandemic, governments must recognise CSOs and WROs as first responders and essential service providers, and give them the support they need.
Moreover, the UN Trust Fund noted that governments should recognise the role of women in economic empowerment and support their movements.
Development Diaries reported in September that over 1,500 teenage girls in South Sudan were either married off or impregnated since April this year, according to a study conducted by the Support Peace Development Initiative Organisation (SPIDO).
The SPIDO report, launched in the first week of September, found alarming rates of early child marriages, pregnancies and prostitution in the Equatoria region.
SPIDO noted that at least 1,535 cases of child marriages and teenage pregnancies were documented following the closure of schools in mid-March as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: UN Women
Photo source: Cambodia4kids.org Beth Kanter
