COVID-19: Gender-based violence prevention, risk mitigation and response during COVID-19

This briefing note aims at giving an overview of risks of gender-based violence (GBV) in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes recommendations to mitigate risks and ensure access to lifesaving GBV services. The last section contains a list of useful resources.

Women and girls of concern to UNHCR are likely to experience distinct challenges and risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such the outbreak might exacerbate already existing risks of GBV. Confinement is expected to increase risks of intimate partner violence for displaced women and girls, while worsened socio-economic situation will expose refugee women and girls in particular to increased risks of sexual exploitation by community members as well as humanitarian workers. In parallel, access to regular GBV services is likely to become challenging for survivors.