As countries around the world grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, we see how critical the issues highlighted at the Summit are. Reports of gender-based violence are skyrocketing, with movement restrictions and mounting domestic stresses resulting in women facing an increased risk of exposure to intimate partner violence. Supply chain disruptions are limiting the availability of contraceptives in many places. Weak, overloaded health systems are diverting already scarce resources away from sexual and reproductive health services, and as always, it is the poorest and most vulnerable women and girls who suffer. Our estimates show that the pandemic could result in millions more cases of gender-based violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation and unintended pregnancies.
