gender based violence

More than two years on from the escalation of the war in Ukraine, women and girls’ humanitarian needs remain unmet. The gendered impacts of the war are being overlooked, pre-existing gender-based inequalities are being exacerbated and Women’s Rights and Women-Led Organizations (WROs/WLOs) are being largely excluded from the humanitarian coordination, decision making and funding systems in Ukraine. 

As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence begins, Oxfam gender justice lead for Central America and LGBTQIA+ activist, Natalia Marsicovetere, spells out the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on LGBTQIA+ people in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

A new Oxfam report shows an undeniable increase in gender-based violence (GBV) during the COVID-19 pandemic around the world to which too many governments and donors are not doing enough to tackle.

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that governments can take extraordinary measures to protect their citizens when spurred to action. We need to see more of this to address gender-based violence. We need to make the world safer for women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people. Here are five brilliant questions you asked about Oxfam’s recent report and our work on gender justice.

Gender-based violence 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. Barriers to achieving gender justice continue to exist, but progress made since the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign show that there are solutions.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic 1 in 3 women experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. With Covid-19 the situation got worse for many. Yet, nowhere near enough is being done to end it. Immediate action is needed now to fight gender-based violence. It starts with governments. It starts with social norms change. It starts with taking action.

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting closure of South Sudan’s schools in March 2020 exacerbated many of the challenges female learners face in pursuing an education. Research conducted for this paper found that increased poverty, domestic care work, early and forced marriage, and teenage pregnancy would make it difficult for female learners to return to schools when they reopened in May 2021.

A year after WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, the virus has laid bare the stark gender inequality that continues to shape our world. Despite being at the forefront of the response, women have borne the brunt of this crisis. On International Women's Day, we must reflect on why this happened and why it is absolutely critical for women and girls to have an equal voice and co-lead in rebuilding after COVID-19.

The worldwide Enough Campaign aims to challenge and change the social acceptance and prevalence of violence against women and girls and gender-based violence by addressing the social norms that justify and perpetuate abuse and gender inequality. Covering the first three years of the campaign, this report documents and assesses progress and results.