Challenging harmful gender norms

To end violence against women and girls requires prevention strategies that target its root causes.

Violence against women and girls increases during periods of crisis. So, it should come as no surprise that Covid-19 has added to the risk of gender-based violence. Even before the pandemic, one in three women worldwide reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner. But, by confining women at home with their abusers, pandemic-related lockdowns have increased their exposure to violence. Lockdowns have also contributed to economic stress, and diminished women’s access to the resources and support systems that help them escape abusive relationships.