The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated existing inequalities within countries and across geographies It reminded us how the world and its people are interconnected Gender-based violence (GBV), which is an expression of gender inequality and toxic masculinity, is another pandemic that exists in all societies at varying degrees of prevalence and severity 1 It requires the same effort and attention that governments globally have given to COVID-19 With half the world under lockdown as governments? response to COVID-19, GBV increased significantly (UN Women, 2020a) The increase was a reminder of the need to have contingent mitigating mechanism to protect the marginalized, women and girls, against a co-existing pandemic, GBV The intersection of marginalization and discrimination made certain groups of women more susceptible to GBV and COVID-19 pandemics These intersecting social identities of vulnerability need equal attention in order to eradicate inequality (Simonovic, 2020)
Gender-Based Violence, Twin Pandemic to COVID-19