Pandemic has been disproportionately hard on women and girls: UN Women

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has described the COVID-19 pandemic as “the most discriminatory crisis” that women and girls have ever experienced.

"The pandemic has been especially hard on women and girls. This is the most discriminatory crisis we have ever experienced. It has hit hardest those who are least able to cope. It has posed a direct challenge to our work as the United Nations and the work of UN Women. The gains we have made in the past are at risk," she said.

Pointing at the unemployment in women due to deadly coronavirus pandemic she said that "women are facing job losses, with two-thirds of the jobs lost being women’s jobs. Those who are most affected are young women at the age where they are rearing young children. 47 million more women this year will be pushed into living on less than USD 1.90 a day, with younger women again bearing the brunt of lost income and lack of decent work. In addition, we face the digital gender gap that leaves women unprepared for the future.”

She spoke at the opening of the annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women whose theme this year is on women's participation and decision-making in public life and combating violence against women and girls.

Mlambo-Ngcuka, the executive director of the UN women’s agency, said the WHO's latest report shows that the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the past 12 months - 16 per cent - was against young women aged 15 to 24.

A report for the commission’s session also underlined that “violence against women in public life is a major deterrent to their political participation, and affects women of all ages and ranks, in every part of the world,” she said.

(With inputs from PTI)