What has the pandemic taught us about protecting women? – 03/20/2023 – Pablo Acosta

Violence against women is a major challenge that affects all of Latin America, including Brazil. This problem became even more evident during the pandemic. Studies have found, for example, a 48% and 32% increase in calls to the domestic violence hotline in Peru (Aguero 2020) and Argentina (Perez-Vincent and Carreras 2020) and a 30% increase in the rate of Google search intensity for topics related to domestic violence in a group of countries that includes the five largest in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico) (Berniell and Facchini 2021).

In the developing world, the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region was where the links between Covid-19 social distancing measures and violence against women were most clearly seen, according to a recent World Bank publication. The analysis by the bank team examined data from 563 measures, identified in low- and middle-income countries, relating to violence against women during the Covid-19 pandemic, obtained from the Gender-biased Global Covid-19 Response Tracker of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UN Women.

Among low- and middle-income countries, LAC countries invested the most in gender-sensitive measures involving cash transfers. Of the 112 registered in these countries, almost half of these measures (47) were adopted in LAC. In particular, most measures among LAC countries exclusively targeted or prioritized mothers and/or pregnant women (eg Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Uruguay). Brazil, for example, approved, in March 2020, the Emergency Aid, which provided monthly benefits to informal workers; single mothers (women heads of households with small children) received double the benefit. In Mexico, subsidies were granted to working mothers of children up to 4 years of age.

Although only a small part of cash transfer measures specifically focused on victims of violence against women, some examples deserve to be mentioned. The program accompanyfrom Argentina, targets women and LGBTI people in contexts of gender violence and offers cash transfers equivalent to one minimum wage for six months, comprehensive assistance and access to psychosocial support coordinated with local and provincial governments.

The Dominican Republic has included a component in its comprehensive cash transfer program aimed at promoting women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship and access to care services and providing support in situations of domestic violence.

The majority (65%) of measures addressing violence against women during the Covid-19 pandemic analyzed by the study in low- and middle-income countries were aimed at strengthening coping services, thus emphasizing the importance of more investment in existing services or the creation of a structured network of services where necessary. Other types of important measures taken included awareness campaigns (17.2%), improved data collection and use (6.9%), mainstreaming the issue of violence against women into COVID-19 responses (6.4% ) and other measures (4.4%).

Similar trends were found when looking only at LAC countries, where nearly half (214) of these measures were identified, with service reinforcement being the majority (65.7%) of responses, followed by awareness-raising campaigns (18%). , improvement in data collection and use (5.8%), integration of violence against women as a problem to be considered in responses to Covid-19 (5.8%) and other measures (4.7%).

In general, the analysis shows that, at the same time that the increase in violence against women has highlighted several gaps in victim care and prevention policies and services, the emergency context has put to the test the capacity to act many governments and civil society. We’ve seen a lot of rapid responses and innovation, many of them based on lessons from past epidemics. In addition, the focus on responses to mitigate economic stress as a possible channel for increasing the risk of violence proved to be relevant among response initiatives.

While we still need more robust studies to understand the specific impact of the different approaches and policy measures adopted, a significant amount of expertise has emerged from the pandemic with lessons and best practice recommendations that are widely agreed among international expert organizations. Among them, strengthening services aimed at violence against women and first response systems (in particular their integration and coordination) and adapting them to virtual contexts (through technology-based solutions); ensure the availability of resources for preventing and addressing violence against women, including through targeted funding; ensure data collection and availability and strengthen awareness initiatives; and integrating a gender-sensitive and violence-against-women approach into COVID-19 responses (see Bastos et al. 2020).

Economic support measures are an important part of this response. Some lessons and recommendations in this regard include: a) Implementing or expanding financial assistance, with particular emphasis on women and/or victims of violence against women; b) Adopt or expand social protection measures in the form of financial assistance, including direct cash transfers, basic food baskets or other subsidies, including cash amounts for care, payment of electricity bills and wage subsidies; and c) Implement policies that promote women’s economic empowerment and childcare policies during the pandemic and as part of recovery measures (World Bank, 2020).

These lessons dialogue with the 25 initiatives announced last March 8 by the Federal Government to promote women’s empowerment and reduce the rates of violence against women. Among them, the resumption of the Programa Mulher Viver sem Violência, with the construction of 40 Casas da Mulher Brasileira and actions to promote gender equality in the labor market, focusing on women victims of violence.

In the words of the director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “Violence against women is endemic in all countries and cultureswas exacerbated by the pandemic and, unlike Covid-19, cannot be resolved with a vaccine”. To avoid further damage, we must act now. Many more steps still need to be taken in the country and in Latin America and the Caribbean to protect all women and girls.

_{This article was written in collaboration with Paula Tavaresthe World Bank’s senior expert on gender issues, and Flavia Carbonarisenior adviser to the World Bank on social development and violence prevention.}

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