While some people have enjoyed and even preferred staying at home due to flexible work hours, more time with family, and acquiring new hobbies, there had also been a 'horrifying global surge in domestic violence,' UN chief Antonio Guterres shares, due to women and girls under lockdown, amongst other consequences.
Here's a quick look at a few statistics. From nations with available data, CNN analyzed that men had 50% more chances to die after being diagnosed with coronavirus than women.
With the health and social sector having around 234 million workers globally, 70% are women frontliners who continue to care for a majority of male patients.
As strict lockdown protocols continue around the world due to COVID-19, the United Nations Population Fund predicted that 'an additional 61 million cases of domestic abuse' is expected to occur in the course of a year.
That's equivalent to 15 million new cases every three months.
In the UK alone, London's Metropolitan Police already had 4,000 domestic abuse arrests within 6 months of initial lockdown. Their abuse hotline had jumped to 49% more calls in April since the 25% increase which already occurred at the end of March.
Coronavirus isn't Just a Health Concern
Meanwhile, a project at Simon Fraser University, California takes a look at the virus' impact at a wider perspective. Researcher Julia Smith enlightens that people are viewing this crisis 'n very narrow terms, only focusing on the health impacts, but we're missing the bigger picture.'
Smith confirms that the effect of the coronavirus for women is disproportional as the bigger picture points to alarming numbers of domestic violence around the world and women's rights.
Normally, women's rights remain an afterthought after a crisis, Smith states.
Although staying at home has slowed down the rate of COVID-19 cases, the current consequences affecting those rights cannot remain ignored.
Very few governments have taken action against this problem.
In France, the government will be funding 20,000 nights in hotels for victims in need. Counseling centers at supermarkets were also initiated.
At pharmacies, the code word "Mask 19' was created for French women who couldn't call authorities from home, inspired by a movement in Spain for women's rights.
Read Also : 50 Days On, 30 days Off Strategy Could Solve COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis, New Study Suggests
Added Burdens for Women
Domestic violence is just one facet of the burdens women carry during lockdown.
Another concern is financial hardship, especially for those who have lost their jobs. 55% of jobless Americans between March and April were women.
As the majority of healthcare workers are women, they earn 28% less than men on average. There's even an 11% gap between equal jobs and equal hours comparisons.
Moreover, among the medical procedures to be limited during the COVID-19 outbreak, elective abortions were included.
The effects can lead to an increase in stillbirths and maternal deaths without appropriate services. Even worse, when women don't have control over family planning and child-bearers, ' these women and their children and their families are kept in poverty' said Kristina Lunz from The Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy.
'Women's rights and freedoms are essential to strong, resilient societies' Guterres addresses.
