AMMAN — A new
Oxfam report shows an increase in gender-based violence (GBV) during the COVID-19
pandemic around the world, the nonprofit announced in a press statement Wednesday.
اضافة اعلان
The report, “The
Ignored Pandemic: The Dual Crisis of Gender-Based Violence and COVID-19”, showed the number of calls made by survivors to domestic violence hotlines in 10
countries during the first months of lockdown, including Jordan.
The data reveals a 25–111
percentage surge; in Argentina 25 percent, Colombia 79 percent, Tunisia 43
percent, China 50 percent, Somalia 50 percent, South Africa 69 percent, UK 25
percent, Cyprus 39 percent, Italy 73 percent and the largest increase in
Malaysia where calls surged by over 111 percent.
In Jordan, calls to
the Family Protection Unit concerning domestic violence rose by 33 percent in
the first months of lockdown. Of all calls to the Family Protection Unit in
2020, close to 60 percent reported physical violence while 34 percent reported
sexual violence.
In many
households, COVID-19 created a “perfect storm” of social and personal anxiety,
stress, economic pressure, social isolation, including with abusive family members
or partners, and rising alcohol and substance use, resulting in increases in domestic abuse.
The report shows that
not enough countries have acted with sufficient seriousness to tackle the GBV
pandemic. Even before the surge in GBV cases was sparked by the pandemic, in
2018 alone, over 245 million women and girls were subjected to sexual or
physical violence by an intimate partner — a greater number than the global
total of coronavirus cases (199 million) between October 2020 and October 2021.
Even though 146 UN
member states have formally declared their support for action against GBV in
their COVID-19 response and recovery plans, only a handful have followed
through. Of the $26.7 trillion that governments and donors mobilized to respond
to the pandemic in 2020, just 0.0002 percent has gone into combating GBV.
“Girls and women have
faced two pandemics over the past year. Gender-based violence is pervasive but
it is preventable; addressing violence against women and girls must be part of
national recovery plans to avoid losing gains in women’s rights and gender
equality made over the past 30 years,” said Oxfam in Jordan Country Director
Nivedita Monga.
The 16 Days of
Activism against GBV that commenced Thursday until December 10 provides an opportunity for governments, donors, and
activists to reflect on the emerging issues of inequality that put women and
girls at risk and address them urgently, according to the statement.
The COVID-19 pandemic
has shown that governments can take extraordinary measures to protect their
citizens and respond to deadly crises when spurred to action. We need to see similar
levels of alacrity to tackle gender-based violence.
“Oxfam in Jordan is
committed to supporting our local partners to end this crisis and to ensure
women have equitable legal protections and access to resources. COVID-19 has
deepened gender gaps in the economy, and women’s economic insecurity increases
their vulnerability to violence at home. Women in Jordan are a potential
powerhouse who could reshape the country’s economy; they must be given the
opportunities to do so,” Monga said.
Oxfam recommended that
states and governments ensure a more coordinated, comprehensive, and
multi-sectoral GBV response that enables survivors to access effective and
quality services. Governments and donors should channel more funding to women's
rights organizations and feminist movements working to end GBV and support
survivors. Additionally, more funding should be allocated to better data
collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated national statistics to inform
evidence-based interventions to end GBV.
"As the world
comes together to mark 30 years of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based
Violence, there is an urgent need for a truly gendered approach in every country’s
effort to respond to and recover from COVID-19.
Governments and donors need to
live up to their commitments to promote gender equality by ensuring investment
in all the areas we know could help end GBV. Only by doing so can we strive for
a future that is more just, safe, and in which people live free from
discrimination," said Oxfam International Executive
Director Gabriela Bucher.
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