Open letter from the regional directors of UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA, and ESCWA in the Arab States Region to governments in the region
15 April 2020
- At the beginning of this week, the United Nations Secretary-General issued an appeal to stop violence everywhere including violence in the home.
- As Directors of the four United Nations Agencies who have been working together to highlight the importance of Gender Justice and Equality before the law as a clear path towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, we call upon states in the Arab states region to respond to the Secretary-General’s appeal.
Many countries of the region have implemented strict movement restrictions, including curfews, to address the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, we need to be conscious of the need to ‘do no harm’. We have seen reductions in services for survivors of Domestic Violence across the region and, in some countries, we have witnessed large increases in the numbers of calls to hotlines or other support services.
We urge governments to strengthen already existing services and to provide alternative solutions to ensure the security and safety of women and girls inside their homes and to assist survivors during this time, including augmenting hotline access, ensuring remote case management, and providing essential health, social services and justice and policing, as courts in some countries of the region have been forced to close. Inclusive solutions must be designed to reach the women furthest behind and be survivor-centred, while referral pathways should be updated to reflect the current situation.
(To read the text in its entirety, please download the PDF below)
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