Picture used for illustrative purpose. File

Gulf Today Report 

November 25, the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women is upon us and nothing has changed from last year, in fact, things have taken for the worse. 

The pandemic has forced everyone to spend more time than they want indoors. For some, it was a long well deserved holiday but for a lot of women around the world, it was a nightmare. 

Domestic violence has soared during the lockdowns. In South Africa and Nigeria, rape cases have surged. More women have gone missing in Peru and the rates of women killed in Mexico and Brazil have spiked. 

Based on UN data released in September, the pandemic induced lockdown has led to Increase in the report of domestic abuse, the data showed a spike of 25 per cent in Argentina, 30 per 

cent in Cyprus and France, 33 per cent in Singapore. 

According to Moroccan associations that are pressurizing authorities for emergency response, “the house is the most dangerous place for women.” 

In India, being confined in the same space with her unemployed and drug-addicted husband has been difficult for Heena.

On August 15, the husband beat her up in front of their seven-year-old and threw her out at 3:00 a.m.

Heena is currently fighting for her son’s custody. 

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Insufficient measures 

Hanaa Edwar, member of the Iraqi Women’s Network said the pandemic has led to degeneration in the economy and pushing a lot of families into poverty, which has led to violent reactions. 

For the first six months of 2020, 648 women were murdered in Brazil. A little increase from the same period in 2019. 

According to the United Nations, only one in eight countries has put up measures to safeguard the impact of the pandemic on women and children. 

In Spain, a code has been created for victims to cautiously ask for help in pharmacies. They just need to say, “mask-19.”

Some French associations have created contact points in supermarkets. 

Although there might not be a programme to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women due to the pandemic, marches for women rights have taken place in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Liberia, Namibia and Romania. 

In July, the UN estimated that six months of restrictions could result in 31 million additional cases of sexual violence in the world and seven million unwanted pregnancies.