Gender-based Violence: Donor Advocacy Brief on Critical Services during COVID-19

There is increasing evidence from the countries most affected by COVID-19 that gender-based violence (GBV), and intimate partner violence (IPV) in particular, are increasing in both prevalence and intensity. Extended quarantines, curfews and other movement restriction measures have led to increased reports of domestic violence due to forced coexistence in confined living spaces, undoubtedly exacerbated by the additional anxieties arising from the pandemic, including those related to the economic and health consequences.

Among refugee populations and other at-risk groups, those risks are further amplified given existing vulnerabilities, with loss of livelihoods and cash opportunities increasing the risks of sexual exploitation and abuse. Reports also indicate an increase in online sexual harassment as people spend more time on social media and other on-line platforms. Additionally, restriction of movement, lockdowns, and forced quarantine measures inevitably increase the impunity already harboured by perpetrators, in addition to impeding access to services by GBV survivors, thus impacting their individual safety plans.

Below are some recommendations that may help donors deliver more holistic, informed and far-reaching services amid these exceptional circumstances.