Webinar Report on Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 on Bangladesh

Around 150 people from diverse background attended a virtual discussion on Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 organized by UN Women on 19 May 2020. In the live webinar session, the experts discussed about the Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) findings which UN Women conducted recently with contributions from the GiHA member agencies- UNFPA, UNICEF, CARE, World Vision, Plan International, and the Resident Representative’s Office. The RGA was an attempt to identify the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on pre-existing social and economic vulnerabilities of women, girls and gender diverse groups, and the challenges faced by them in accessing public services and facilities, and therefore make recommendations for gender sensitive COVID 19 response. The participants and the discussants strongly agreed with RGA finding particularly around the livelihood challenges and increase in gender-based violence, and requested greater attention by the Government of Bangladesh to the socio-economic impacts of COVID crisis which is disproportionately affecting women, girls and gender diverse groups. Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative chaired the webinar while Dr. Abul Hossain, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Project Director for Multisectoral Programme on Violence Against Women; Nobonita Chowdhury, Director, Gender Justice Diversity & Prevention of Violence Against Women initiative, BRAC; Dr. Nazeen Ahmed, Senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies; and Shampa Goswami, Executive Director, Prerona Nari Unnayan Sangothon from Satkhira spoke as panelists. Dilruba Haider of UN Women was the moderator of the Webinar.