Publications

Several countries affected by COVID-19, have seen increases in levels of violence occurring in the home, including violence against children, intimate partner violence and violence against older people. Countries also face increasing challenges in maintaining support and care for survivors of violence. This brief compiles key actions that the health sector can undertake within a multisectoral response to prevent or mitigate interpersonal violence based on existing WHO guidance.

This brief explores the multi-dimensional impact on women migrant workers, highlighting that COVID-19 is not only a health crisis but also a crisis with detrimental effects on freedom from violence and harassment, employment, income, social protection, access to services, and access to justice.

The civil society organizations participating in the Gender Monitoring Network facilitated by UN Women Bangladesh, are concerned by how the COVID 19 pandemic is disproportionally affecting women and girls. Inspired by feminist and human rights principles, the Gender Monitoring Network calls on Policy Makers to recognize women human rights and integrate an intersectional gender equality approach in the COVID 19 Response to ensure everyone has access to necessary information and supports and resources. The Call for Action represents the voices of women and other vulnerable groups who are most affected by the pandemic.

The Philippines is among the worst affected countries in the South East Asian region in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic – it has experienced the highest number of new confirmed cases per day, second highest number of deaths, and third highest rate of infection. This second Gender Snapshot from UN Women Philippines highlights the situation of women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic in the period of April to June 2020. 

COVID-19 is not only a health issue, just as HIV never was. It impacts on a wide range of human rights, and although it affects all people, it does so unequally. Women and girls in all their diversity are experiencing the greatest impact of the crisis. COVID-19 has highlighted the stark inequalities across societies, with a lack of pandemic preparedness and fragile or non-functioning institutions posing graver impacts.

This Mapping Report highlights recent steps taken at a regional level to improve trans people’s access to comprehensive health care, including gender-affirming health services. It also outlines the purpose of the From Bridges to Barriers conference and how this report would be used in health and policy discussions.

This operational guidance for South and South-East Asia and Pacific regions has been prepared to help countries prepare a continuity plan for maintaining good quality and equitable sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This document builds upon the previous Regional Guidance published on 17 April 2020, which provided high-level guidance to countries for continuing good quality and equitable sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (SRMNCAH) services during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides principles, strategic actions and a few examples of operational actions that countries have found useful for preparing plans to continue prioritized SRMNCAH services during the pandemic.

As this Technical Brief notes, studies to date do not show an increased risk of severe disease in late pregnancy or substantial risk to the newborn from COVID-19. But its impact on acute care services in settings with under-resourced health systems is likely to be substantial. The brief provides guidance on continuing to deliver a high level of antenatal care. 

The overarching aim of this guidance is to ensure maternity care providers can deliver respectful and individualised care services that promote the safety of women, babies, families and health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.