Fight continues against shadow pandemic of violence against women: UN Report

NEW DELHI: The United Nations Women released an impact report of the Spotlight initiative which aims to introduce targeted effort to end all forms of violence against women and girls. The Spotlight initiative is a $564 million program that deploys targeted, large-scale investments in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific. The report said that during the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, around 650,000 women and girls received gender-based violence services through this joint UN and European Union (EU) program.

The report underlined that how partners adjusted the programs quickly in order to address the ‘shadow pandemic of violence against women and girls’ amidst the ongoing global challenges of the coronavirus. During a press conference following the release of the impact report at the UN headquarters, Sima Bahous, Executive Director, UN Women stated that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen violence against women and girls in a context of ongoing and new backlash against women’s rights around the world. As a result, there is a greater than ever need for focused action to protect gains and guard against reversals.

The report mentioned that in addition to scaling up its services, the program assisted civil society organisations to swiftly adapt to the changing environment and to strengthen online services such as tele-counselling and hotlines.