Gender Monitoring Network called upon the government to take urgent action for a gender-responsive Covid-19 relief and response to ensure access to necessary information, supports and resources.
The civil society organisations participating in the Gender Monitoring Network facilitated by UN Women, are concerned by how the COVID 19 pandemic is disproportionally affecting women and girls.
The Call for Action represents the voices of women and other vulnerable groups who are most affected by the pandemic, a UN Women statement said on Tuesday.
The Call for Action comes as an urgent appeal to the government and policy makers, endorsed by the organizations representing the Gender Monitoring Network are Aain O shalish Kendra, Bandhu, Bangladesh Mahila parishad, Bangladesh Nari Sromik Kenra, Bindu, Christian Aid, Light House, ManusherJonno Foundation, Naripokkho, and Prottoy Unnayan Shongstha.
As the COVID-19 pandemic crisis deepens, the economic and social stress combined with movement restrictions and social isolation measures are mounting existing inequalities more than ever, gender inequality being the most pervasive of all, the statement added.
Across every sphere, from access to prevention information, means such as water and WASH facilities to implement preventive measures, testing and treatment to loss of livelihoods and exposure to violence and abuse, the impacts of COVID-19 are being felt differently between men and women and gender diverse persons.
Despite both men and women being at home, COVID-19 has disproportionately increased the burden of unpaid domestic and childcare work especially of mothers.
Women and girls and transgender persons from slums, rural and remote areas, indigenous communities, elderly women, women heads of household, those living with disabilities, facing violence at home, and making a living through informal work such as domestic work and sex work live with the intersectional and compounded discrimination due to class, gender, ethnicity, different ability, occupation.
They are experiencing further socio-economic marginalisation due to COVID-19, it added.
The 12-points recommendations included having stronger inter-ministerial coordination of the socio-economic response to Covid-19, focusing on gender equality and social inclusion of the most vulnerable
Other recommendations included increasing women’s representation in Covid-19 response planning and decision-making; declaring gender-based violence (GBV) response services as essential and life-saving services; prevent sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) in quarantine and isolation centres and during relief distribution.
The Network also called for strengthening implementation and monitoring of government’s relief measures such as food and cash distribution, urgently expand the existing social safety net and cash transfers programmes targeting the newly vulnerable women, girls and gender-diverse people and launching a nationwide advocacy and media campaign.
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