Risks of the COVID-19 pandemic for the exercise of women’s sexual and reproductive rights

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the effects of the measures taken by governments to control its rapid spread have affected most of the world’s population. The United Nations, governments and different civil society organizations, the academic and scientific world and other development actors have warned of the differentiated consequences of the pandemic, which has widened existing gaps between men and women in a number of dimensions. They have accordingly advocated the incorporation of a gender equality perspective into policies, measures and programmes aimed at mitigating and recovering from the crisis. The effects on the sexual and reproductive health of women and girls, which is a key factor in their empowerment, may be particularly severe.