UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for efforts to protect the health and rights of women and girls. "Let us act to safeguard sexual and reproductive health care, protect the health and rights of women and girls, and end gender-based violence. The (COVID-19) pandemic has made our jobs much harder, but we must prevail," Guterres said on Saturday in his message for World Population Day, which falls on July 11 annually, Xinhua news agency reported.
The pandemic is deepening existing inequalities and vulnerabilities, particularly for women and girls, Guterres said.
"With many countries on lockdown and health systems struggling to cope, sexual and reproductive health services are being sidelined and gender-based violence is on the rise," he warned.
According to the UN chief, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) projects that if lockdown measures continue for six months with major disruptions to health services, 47 million women in low- and middle-income countries may not be able to access modern contraceptives.
"This would result in 7 million unintended pregnancies," he said. Moreover, some 31 million additional cases of gender-based violence can also be expected, the secretary-general added. (IANS)