The UN’s Population Fund says disruptions caused by the coronavirus could lead to a rise in unintended pregnancies.
The report shows the scale of the impact that Covid-19 could have on Women’s Rights, and how if the lockdowns last for six months, it says, up to 47 million women in low and middle income countries, would struggle to access contraceptives.
This could lead to seven million unintended pregnancies, and as women remain trapped at home, the UN body predicts cases of gender based violence would rise.
It warns that global initiatives to stop Female Genital Mutilation and child marriages are being disrupted and this could lead to a rise in both.
