About one in every three women in the world aged 15 and older have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their life, according to the World Health Organization. And, for 16% of those aged between 15 and 24, it has happened within the past 12 months. From Europe to Asia and Africa to the Americas, COVID-19 has triggered dramatic increases in violence against women in every region of the world. In the early days of the pandemic in 2020, the UN chief called for an end to the rising surge of violence against women and girls.

 

Gender-based violence has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. Calls to helplines increased five-fold in some countries as the movement was restricted in response to the health crisis, causing both social isolation and increased economic insecurity in ways that made women more vulnerable to violence at home.

 

Gender-based violence is a human rights violation with devastating immediate and long-term physical, sexual, and mental consequences - which can prevent women from fully participating in society. Rates of depression, anxiety, unplanned pregnancy, sexually-transmitted disease, and HIV are relatively higher among women who have experienced violence. This can strain health care systems, and undermine productivity; the estimated annual cost to the global economy of discriminatory social institutions and violence against women is roughly $12 trillion.

 

We know change is possible. At least 155 countries have passed domestic violence laws, and 140 have legislation on sexual harassment in the workplace - through enforcing these laws remains a challenge, and women and girls are frequently denied access to safety and justice. Not enough is being done to prevent violence or to mete out punishment when it occurs.