From a spike in rapes in Nigeria and South Africa, increased numbers of women missing in Peru, higher rates of women being killed in Brazil and Mexico and overwhelmed associations in Europe: the pandemic has aggravated the plague of sexual violence. "The house is the most dangerous place for women," Moroccan associations noted in April as they pressed authorities for "an emergency response." Mobilization on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women remains uncertain owing to restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. "There are gender pay gaps which are widening and continue to widen during the Covid-19 pandemic," she told AFP. In July, the UN estimated that six months of restrictions could result in 31 million additional cases of sexual violence in the world and seven million unwanted pregnancies.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 23, 2020 04:30 UTC