Of the innumerable side-effects caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, one relates to the safety and security of women. And it should be dealt with as much seriousness as any other issue, the United Nations (UN) has pointed out.
No less a figure than UN Secretary General António Guterres appealed to governments on Monday to take care in arresting a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” over the last few weeks which has seen most countries around the world under a lockdown to check the spread of the dangerous Covid-19.
“I urge all governments to make the prevention and redress of violence against women a key part of their national response plans for Covid-19,” Guterres said through a video message posted on Twitter.
“Lockdown and quarantine are essential to suppress Covid-19, but they can trap women with abusive partners. Over the last week as economic pressures have grown, we have seen a horrifying surge in domestic violence. In some countries the number of women calling for support services have doubled,” he clarified.
“For women and girls the threat looms largest where they should be the safest, in their homes,” he added.
The secretary general suggested ways of countering domestic violence against women and urged governments across the world to follow his recommendations.
