Call for submissions: COVID-19 and the increase of domestic violence against women
Issued by
Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
Last updated
20 October 2020
Closed
Submissions now online (See below)
Issued by
Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
Last updated
20 October 2020
Closed
Submissions now online (See below)
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Dubravka Šimonović, is following closely the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's right to a life free from violence. As she warned in a recent statement in 27 March 2020, the efforts to deal with the current health crisis may lead to an increase in domestic violence against women.
As initial police and hotline reports suggest, domestic violence has already surged in many countries, as measures imposing isolation compel a number of women to be kept at home under the same roof with perpetrators, thus exacerbating women's vulnerability to domestic violence, including femicides. The risk is aggravated by fewer police interventions; the closure of courts and limited access to justice; the closure of shelters and services for victims, and reduced access to reproductive health services.
In her upcoming report to the General Assembly, to be presented in October 2020, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women will address the topic of COVID-19 and the increase of violence against women, with a focus on domestic violence. To that end, the Special Rapporteur wishes to receive all relevant information on the increase of gender-based violence against women and domestic violence in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic from civil society, States, National Human Rights Institutions, international organisations, academia and other stakeholders on the following issues:
All submissions should be sent to vaw@ohchr.org as soon as possible, and will be received until 30 June 2020. You are kindly requested to provide your submissions in English, French or Spanish. Kindly indicate if you DO NOT wish your submission to be made publicly available.