New Delhi (NVI): Coronavirus pandemic is deepening already existing inequalities and “is having devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls” that could reverse limited progress toward gender equality, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
Although, the early data shows that the mortality rates from COVID-19 may be higher for men. But the pandemic is having devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls.
The UN chief, in a video message, urged governments to put women and girls at the centre of their efforts to recover from COVID-19.
“Nearly 60 per cent of women around the world work in the informal economy, earning less, saving less, and at greater risk of falling into poverty. As markets fall and businesses close, millions of women’s jobs have disappeared,” he added.
According to a latest report released, to accompany UN chief’s statements, by the United Nations recommends ways to put women’s leadership and contributions at the heart of resilience and recovery.
“Teenage girls out of school may never return,” Guterres continued. “Progress lost takes years to regain.”
In addition to this, the unpaid work has “increased exponentially” as a result of school closures and children being at home, and the increased needs of older people, Guterres said.
He furhter added, “These currents are combining as never before to defeat women’s rights and deny women’s opportunities,”
Antonio stated that all the measures taken to protect and stimulate the economy, from cash transfers to credits and loans, must be targeted at women.
The pandemic has also led to a horrifying increase in violence against women.
“Nearly one in five women worldwide has experienced violence in the past year. Many of these women are now trapped at home with their abusers, struggling to access services that are suffering from cuts and restrictions,” the Secretary-General informed.
COVID-19 is not only challenging global health systems, but testing our common humanity. Gender equality and women’s rights are essential to getting through this pandemic together, to recovering faster, and to building a better future for everyone, Guterres concluded at last.
