COVID-19 and Gender Based Violence in the Global South

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Webinar summaries - COVID-19 and Gender Based Violence in the Global South (PDF Version)

Overview:

COVID-19 has become an unprecedented global crisis. The pandemic has exposed deep structural inequalities around the world, with disproportionate effects on women and girls. This webinar will discuss current issues around COVID-19 and gender-based violence for women in the Global South. A diverse panel of experts from the worlds of international development research and practice will discuss research priorities and possible policy solutions for addressing gender-based violence.

This is the fourth event in a series of research-to-practice Webinar on the gender dimensions of COVID19 organized by the Women’s Empowerment in Development (WED) Lab at McGill in partnership with the Institute for the Study of International Development and made possible thanks to funding from the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW 2) program, a multi-funder initiative by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Canada’s International Development Research Centre.

Description:

By late June 2020, health actors had confirmed more than 9.4 million cases of COVID-19, including more than 482,000 deaths in 213 countries around the world. While these figures are high, they do not adequately depict the gravity of the pandemic. As a result of restricting movement, halting travel, closing business, and disrupting global supply chains, COVID-19 has affected every aspect of human life.

As with other pandemics in recent history, women are particularly vulnerable. COVID-19 has further aggravated structural inequalities that systematically disadvantage women. UN Women estimates that globally in the past 12 months, 243 million women and girls aged 15–49 years were subjected to gender-based violence. As a result of the lockdowns imposed to stop the spread of COVID-19, emerging data show that such violence has intensified. Given the current challenges, it is important to focus attention on the gender dimensions of COVID-19 and its impact on gender-based violence in the Global South.

Featuring:

• Professor Kathryn Yount (Emory University)
• Wilson Hernandez (GRADE)
• Dr. Chi Chi Undie (SVRI)