While COVID-19 is affecting people indiscriminately, women and girls are among the most vulnerable to the impact of the pandemic. A new policy brief by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) (attached) and other United Nations entities emphasizes that existing domestic violence and social challenges faced by women and girls in the Arab region have worsened.
'Domestic violence has increased in the world and the Arab region with lockdowns, enforced coexistence due to confinement, economic stress, perceived and real food insecurity, and fears about exposure to the virus,' ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti underscored. 'Women survivors of violence will face increased difficulties in accessing help during the pandemic,' she added.
Increasing food insecurity will not only place women and girls at heightened risk of domestic violence with rising household tensions, it will also reduce their immunity to the virus. In addition, in times of crises, food and nutrition distribution within households is not always equitable. Women and girls are also more likely to reduce the quality and quantity of food consumption and adopt negative coping strategies.
Another feature of the region is that the large majority of nurses, midwives and support staff at medical facilities are women, who thus face disproportionate exposure risks. Within households, women often assume the role of informal health-care providers and caretakers, which results in them being emotionally and physically exhausted, further increasing those risks.
