Addressing the Shadow Pandemic of Domestic Violence
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March and public health officials around the world responded with stay-at-home orders. As the number of COVID-19 cases escalated, women throughout the world reported an increased amount of domestic violence. The international community now faces a second pandemic: the shadow pandemic of domestic violence.
The UN reports that 1 in 3 women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Due to COVID-19, domestic violence cases have increased by 30 percent in some countries. Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, recently stated, “As more countries report infection and lockdown, more domestic violence helplines and shelters across the world are reporting rising call lines for help.”
Today, a multitude of states and organizations are commited to fighting violence against women. In 1979, the United Nations General Assembly established the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. During the 1995 Beijing World Conference, women’s rights were officially declared human rights. By establishing a policy blueprint that universally condemned violence against women, the international community paved the way for prioritizing issues affecting women and girls around the world.
Carrying on in this tradition, the Commission on the Status of Women holds an annual two-week session in order to discuss the progress and gaps of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in an attempt to raise awareness on emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women. One example of this is the fifth UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which strives for gender equality and empowering women and girls as an essential global policy prerogative. Relatedly, state governments are prioritizing gender equality as a foreign policy goal; today, Sweden, Canada, and Mexico are prioritizing gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV) specifically in response to the increase in domestic violence cases over recent years.
With these countries and organizations paving the way, it is more than timely that the United States also take a strong stance on combating gendered domestic violence around the world. One suitable action would be to pass the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) of 2019. Congress needs to pass the Act as an important step in ending GBV, elevating the status of women and girls around the world, and advancing U.S. interests.
On November 7, 2020, NBC news reported the new 2020 U.S. presidential election winners: President-elect—and former Vice President for Barack Obama—Joe Biden, and Biden’s Vice Presidential pick, Senator Kamala Harris. In 1994, Joe Biden, then Chair of Senate Judiciary Committee wrote and championed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) of 2019. Today, The Biden Plan—the Biden Transition Team asserts that President-elect Joe Biden will prioritize and enact the VAWA of 2019. As the administration champions the VAWA, it will also serve as a stepping stone for President-elect Joe Biden to sign into law the IVAWA of 2019 with the support of Congress. If the new administration promotes women's equality and fights gender-based violence, it will support women’s employment fueling economic growth.
Passing the IVAWA will demonstrate U.S. leadership on women’s issues and will build on President Trump’s Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, as well as the bipartisan Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017. It would also address other issues that girls face, including the lack of education and forced child marriage. Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Amina Mohammed, recently stated that 743 million girls are left out of school due to COVID-19. This, coupled with an estimated 500,000 girls around the world at risk of being forced into child marriage just in 2020 alone, as a result of the effects of COVID-19, prove that barriers preventing women from entering the workforce and obtaining leadership positions not only exist but are very common.
The imperatives for and benefits of passing IVAWA are vast and overarching, but they can be summed up into three categories. First, the IVAWA will assist women and girls from diverse backgrounds and target the most common type of GBV: intimate partner violence. Second, it develops a U.S. global leadership structure and strategy that partners with governments and NGOs to end violence against women and girls. This sets an example and gives an opportunity for other countries to adopt a similar long-term strategic plan. Third, ending violence against women enhances economic growth and national security. The McKinsey Global Institute reports that promoting women’s equality can add $12 trillion to the global economy by 2025.
Finally, it will prioritize the U.S.’s response to countries facing the highest number of COVID-19 and domestic violence cases, by preventing and responding to GBV through foreign assistance and humanitarian relief and recovery, including India, Brazil, France, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. Empowered women help prevent conflict and build peace in their own countries, helping to advance U.S. national security. By fighting domestic violence, the United States can help countries protect women, and strengthen its relationships with its allies.
The United States needs to move forward to address this growing shadow pandemic. The passage of The International Violence Against Women Act of 2019 will promote gender equality and commit to ending violence against women and girls. As we approach the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women, it is important to remember that the United States has the power and capability to support the lives of survivors, and to shine a light in the darkest places. By leading these global efforts, the United States and its allies and partners can help women and girls worldwide achieve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.