Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: info@internationalmun.

org

IMUN Online Conference 20.0

Study Guide

Committee: UN Women
Topic: Domestic violence during COVID-19:
The shadow pandemic

1
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

Table of Contents
About UN Women ............................................................................................ 3
Introduction to the topic .................................................................................. 5
Current Situation ............................................................................................. 7
Possible Solutions ............................................................................................. 9
Questions A Resolution Must Answer .......................................................... 10
References ...................................................................................................... 11

2
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

About UN Women
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the
empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women
was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.
UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for
achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to
design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the
standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls
worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development
Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal
participation in all aspects of life, focusing on four strategic priorities:
• Women lead, participate in and benefit equally from governance systems
• Women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy
• All women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence
• Women and girls contribute to and have greater influence in building
sustainable peace and resilience, and benefit equally from the prevention
of natural disasters and conflicts and humanitarian action
UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing
gender equality, and in all deliberations and agreements linked to the 2030
Agenda. The entity works to position gender equality as fundamental to the
Sustainable Development Goals, and a more inclusive world.
Gender equality is not only a basic human right, but its achievement has
enormous socio-economic ramifications. Empowering women fuels thriving
economies, spurring productivity and growth. Yet gender inequalities remain
deeply entrenched in every society. Women lack access to decent work and face
occupational segregation and gender wage gaps. They are too often denied
access to basic education and health care. Women in all parts of the world suffer
violence and discrimination. They are under-represented in political and
economic decision-making processes.
Over many decades, the United Nations has made significant progress in
advancing gender equality, including through landmark agreements such as the

3
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Working for the empowerment and rights of women and girls globally, UN
Women’s main roles are:
• To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the
Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and
norms.
• To help Member States implement these standards, standing ready to
provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that
request it, and to forge effective partnerships with civil society.
• To lead and coordinate the UN system’s work on gender equality, as well
as promote accountability, including through regular monitoring of
system-wide progress.

4
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

Introduction to the topic

Mounting data suggests that domestic abuse is acting like an opportunistic
infection, flourishing in the conditions created by the pandemic. Now, with
families in lockdown worldwide, hotlines are lighting up with abuse reports,
leaving governments trying to address a crisis that experts say they should have
seen coming.
Stress, the disruption of social and protective networks, and decreased access
to services can all exacerbate the risk of violence for women. As distancing
measures are put in place and people are encouraged to stay at home, the risk
of intimate partner violence is likely to increase. For example: The likelihood that
women in an abusive relationship and their children will be exposed to violence
is dramatically increased, as family members spend more time in close contact
and families cope with additional stress and potential economic or job losses.
Women may have less contact with family and friends who may provide support
and protection from violence. Women bear the brunt of increased care work
during this pandemic. School closures further exacerbate this burden and place
more stress on them. The disruption of livelihoods and ability to earn a living,
including for women (many of whom are informal wage workers), will decrease
access to basic needs and services, increasing stress on families, with the
potential to exacerbate conflicts and violence.
As resources become scarcer, women may be at greater risk for experiencing
economic abuse. Perpetrators of abuse may use restrictions due to COVID-19 to
exercise power and control over their partners to further reduce access to
services, help, and psychosocial support from both formal and informal
networks. Perpetrators may also restrict access to necessary items such as soap
and hand sanitizer. Perpetrators may exert control by spreading misinformation
about the disease and stigmatize partners. Access to vital sexual and
reproductive health services, including for women subjected to violence, will
likely become more limited. Other services, such as hotlines, crisis centers,
shelters, legal aid, and protection services may also be scaled back, further
reducing access to the few sources of help that women in abusive relationships
might have.

5
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

At least 15m more cases of domestic violence are predicted around the world
this year as a result of pandemic restrictions, according to new data that paints
a bleak picture of life for women over the next decade.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has also calculated that tens of millions of
women will not be able to access modern contraceptives this year, and millions
more girls will undergo female genital mutilation or be married off by 2030. The
figures, published on 28th April, 2020 by the UNFPA and its partners Avenir
Health, Johns Hopkins University in the US and Victoria University in Australia,
assume a 20% increase in violence during an average three-month lockdown in
all 193 UN member states. The figures take into account the anticipated high
levels of under-reported cases.
Researchers expect 15 million additional cases of domestic violence for every
three months that lockdown is extended. They also estimate that the disruption
to violence prevention programmes because of the pandemic and the diversion
of resources elsewhere could mean a third fewer cases of violence are averted
by 2030. Researchers also project that up to 44 million women in 114 low and
middle-income countries will be unable to access contraceptives if lockdown
and Covid-19 related restrictions continue for three months and cause major
disruption to services. This would result in an estimated 1 million unintended
pregnancies.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation has reported that more than
5,000 clinics have closed in 64 countries and Marie Stopes International predicts
that Covid-19 restrictions on its services could mean 3 million additional
unintended pregnancies, 2.7 million unsafe abortions and 11,000 pregnancy-
related deaths. The pandemic is also expected to derail efforts to end FGM.
Researchers had expected the scaling up of FGM prevention programmes over
the next 10 years would mean 5.3 million fewer girls being cut. This figure is
projected to be reduced by a third. Meanwhile the disruption to programmes to
prevent child marriage will result in an additional 13 million children being
married over the next decade. World leaders have pledged to eliminate violence
against women and girls, FGM and child marriage, as well as ensure universal
access to family planning by 2030, under the sustainable development goals.

6
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

One out of three women in the world experience physical or sexual violence in
their lifetime, according to the World Health Organization, making it “the most
widespread but among the least reported human rights abuses.” While men
experience domestic violence, women make up the majority of victims, with
LGBTQ individuals also facing elevated rates of domestic violence. But during
times of crisis, such as natural disasters, wars, and epidemics, the risk of gender-
based-violence escalates.

Current Situation
In UK, MPs have demanded an urgent cross-government action plan on how to
tackle increasing levels of domestic abuse under the lockdown, warning that
without intervention, society will be dealing with the devastating consequences
for a generation. In a report published on 27 April, 2020, the home affairs select
committee called for a raft of measures from the government, including an
emergency package of funding for support services for domestic abuse victims
and vulnerable children. The cross-party committee recommends that the
government legislates to remove a time limit on prosecuting certain offences to
ensure perpetrators of domestic abuse during the lockdown do not get away
with their crimes.
In France, during the first week of coronavirus lockdown, authorities reported a
more than 30 percent rise in the country’s domestic violence cases. Although
the government has put a number of measures in place to make it easier for
victims to report such abuses, few seem to have taken advantage of them so far.
In Spain, services for women facing gender-based violence are designated as
essential, so their continued operation is guaranteed by the government. In the
first two weeks of the state of alert, its 016 helpline received 18% more calls
than in the same period the previous month.
In the United States, several cities have already reported increases in domestic
violence cases and calls to local hotlines. 9 of the 20 largest metropolitan police
departments reported "double-digit percentage jumps" in domestic violence
911 calls or cases in March compared to last year or the January or February
2020. Boston, Massachusetts had a 22% increase and Seattle, Washington had
21% in domestic assault and battery reports in March compared to the same

7
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

month last year. In Portland, Oregon domestic violence arrests jumped by 27%
between March 12 and 23 of this year compared to the same time in 2019,
according to CNN. Additionally, some shelters are already full after
implementing social distancing measures.
In China, the number of domestic violence cases reported to the local police
tripled in February compared to the previous year, according to Axios. Activists
say this is a result of enforced lockdown.
In Japan, alarms have been raised over a growing worldwide trend in domestic
abuse cases. The All Japan Women’s Shelter Network predicts a worsening
situation in Japan. The victim-support NGO explained to NHK that as people lose
their jobs or lose income they can become abusive even without having shown
any violence in the past. On March 31, a formal request for countermeasures
was submitted to the Ministry of Health calling on domestic violence support
centers to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. They also highlighted
the need for temporary protection measures that can become effective
immediately for victims who have fled to shelters during the hectic coronavirus
period. The group told NHK that it has become more difficult to offer direct
support to victims given the current pressures to stay at home and new
strategies are needed to help reach out to victims.
India's National Commission for Women (NCW) on 17 April said it registered 587
domestic violence complaints between March 23 and April 16, a significant
surge from 396 complaints received in the previous 25 days between February
27 and March 22. The NCW relies on women to report domestic violence on its
fixed helpline numbers and through the post, two modes of communication that
have been closed since the lockdown. The Commission then publicised the email
address of its members and began receiving complaints on social media and
through its online portal. This in a country where only one-third of women have
access to the internet.

8
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

Possible Solutions
Governments and policy makers must include essential services to address
violence against women in preparedness and response plans for COVID-19, fund
them, and identify ways to make them accessible in the context of physical
distancing measures.
Health facilities should identify and provide information about services available
locally (e.g. hotlines, shelters, rape crisis centers, counselling) for survivors,
including opening hours, contact details, and whether services can be offered
remotely, and establish referral linkages.
Health providers need to be aware of the risks and health consequences of
violence against women. They can help women who disclose by offering first-
line support and medical treatment. First-line support includes: listening
empathetically and without judgment, inquiring about needs and concerns,
validating survivors’ experiences and feelings, enhancing safety, and connecting
survivors to support services. The use of Health and telemedicine in safely
addressing violence against women must urgently be explored.

9
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

Humanitarian response organizations need to include services for women

subjected to violence and their children in their COVID-19 response plans and
gather data on reported cases of violence against women.
Community members should be made aware of the increased risk of violence
against women during this pandemic and the need to keep in touch and support
women subjected to violence, and to have information about where help for
survivors is available. It is important to ensure that it is safe to connect with
women when the abuser is present in the home.
Women who are experiencing violence may find it helpful to reach out to
supportive family and friends, seek support from a hotline, or seek out local
services for survivors. They may also find it useful to have a safety plan in case
the violence escalates. This includes having a neighbour, friend, relative, or
shelter identified to go to should they need to leave the house immediately for
safety.

Questions A Resolution Must Answer

1. What can governments do to make reporting of cases simpler?
2. To what extent can domestic violence cases be monitored during the
pandemic?
3. Can there be counselling sessions for the couples involved? How would
they be conducted?
4. How can governments ensure protection of domestic violence victims?
5. What can the governments do to break the taboo regarding divorce and
separation in developing and least developed countries?
6. Can there be any programs to reduce stress among couples?

10
 Website: www.internationalmun.org Email: [email protected]

References
1. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/world/coronavirus-domestic-
violence.html
2. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/27/domestic-abuse-
surge-coronavirus-lockdown-lasting-impact-mps
3. https://www.theguardian.com/global-
development/2020/apr/28/calamitous-domestic-violence-set-to-soar-
by-20-during-global-lockdown-coronavirus
4. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52453372
5. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52216966
6. https://time.com/5803887/coronavirus-domestic-violence-victims/
7. https://www.france24.com/en/20200410-french-domestic-violence-
cases-soar-during-coronavirus-lockdown
8. https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/japan-domestic-violence-fears-rise-
amid-coronavirus-pandemic/
9. https://www.businessinsider.com/as-the-coronavirus-pandemic-grows-
so-does-domestic-violence-2020-4
10. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-
updates/2020/04/06/827908402/global-lockdowns-resulting-in-
horrifying-surge-in-domestic-violence-u-n-warns

11