COVID-19 is changing women’s lives in ways that are likely to outlive the pandemic. It is taking a heavy toll on their health, social and economic well-being worldwide.
At the same time, women are at the forefront of the response to the pandemic, making up almost 70 per cent of the health care workforce and accounting for the majority of essential low-skilled, low-paid workers who keep communities running during the health crisis.
Yet, women are remarkably absent from the leadership and expert groups managing COVID-19 and have limited opportunities to voice their concerns and inform the policy response to the pandemic.
This makes them particularly vulnerable to corruption across the health care system, both as patients and providers, and through sextortion.
Since January 2020, more than 1,800 people have contacted Transparency International’s worldwide network of Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres (ALACs) to report corruption and seek assistance for issues related to COVID-19, including gender-based corruption. ALACs offer free and confidential advice to victims and witnesses of corruption in more than 60 countries around the globe.