The Covid-19 crisis is having impacts on women's health and safety. They bear the greatest physical and emotional costs and are at greatest risk of infection from their continued exposure to the virus. According to United Nations (UN) data, globally, women represent about 70% of people working in public health and social care systems.

But in addition to the consequences directly caused by the disease, women also suffer from the difficulty of accessing both basic sexual and maternal health services (in fact, pregnant women fear for their health when attending check-ups and may be left without sufficient medical care and unaccompanied in childbirth) and breast cancer prevention programs, due to the redirection of essential medical needs.

Also, women, in general, take on most of the care. Even before covid-19, they performed three times as much domestic and unpaid care work as men. Today, women employed in the formal sector who have children are torn between their employment (if they can keep it), childcare, home education, care of the elderly and domestic work. Even worse are women working in the informal economy, many of whom are migrants, who may become unemployed and without income. Female-headed households are particularly vulnerable.

Violence against women is a scourge in all societies and can increase when there is tension in the home due to safety, health, and economic problems, in addition to confinement conditions. UN Women notes that reports of violence have tripled in some countries where confinement measures have been taken and expresses concern about women at greater risk of violence, such as women with functional diversity, migrants with irregular documentation status and victims of trafficking.

For all these reasons, UN Women points out five actions that governments and public administrations must adopt without delay.

First, ensure that the needs of women health workers are considered in measures to address the problem. But they must also be offered all the support and protective equipment necessary to enable them to do their work in the safest possible way.

Secondly, the public authorities must pay attention to what is happening in the home and promote the equitable sharing of the burden of care and domestic tasks between women and men. This is a great opportunity to eradicate the gender stereotypes and roles that are so entrenched in most households in virtually all parts of the world. One concrete step that governments can take is to join the UN Women's campaign; HeforShe, this initiative invites the creation of a courageous, visible and united movement in defence of gender equality, calling for the participation of men to ensure that they are doing their share of housework, in order to balance the burden of care and household chores, which falls disproportionately on women.

Thirdly, financial support must include social protection measures that reflect an understanding of women's special circumstances and recognition of the care economy. This includes ensuring public health care for all individuals and paid and/or sick leave for those who cannot attend work because they are caring for children or the elderly. For those employed in the informal sector, which make up most of the female workforce, they must be guaranteed the necessary income.

Fourth, ensure that hotlines and resources for women who experience gender-based violence are essential services and that they are always available. In addition, public administration needs to respond to the needs of these women and their children.

Finally, public authorities at the state, autonomous community or local level must listen to women regarding response and recovery initiatives in the face of the health crisis. Taking half the population into account in decision-making will enrich and improve results.

These measures are urgent. Building on women's needs provides an opportunity to "build back better". What better contribution to our society than to implement policies that build a more just, egalitarian society free of violence against women?

In summary, UN Women has proposed gender-sensitive strategies to address the coronavirus pandemic. Among them, guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health services, ensuring specific attention to professionals in the health sector and providing economic measures for women, optimizing the accompaniment of migrants to prevent them from becoming victims of trafficking and strengthening strategies that prevent gender-based violence.

One of the most applauded initiatives by UN Women has been the launch by the Canary Islands government for women at risk of gender-based violence who can go to the pharmacy and ask for a "Mask-19" to alert staff that they need help. This initiative is also being followed in other Autonomous Communities and cities.

For its part, the Ministry of Equality, in collaboration with the Government Delegation for Gender Violence, has launched the Contingency Plan against Gender Violence in the face of the covid-19 crisis, approved in the Council of Ministers on March 17th. Among the measures promoted is the implementation of the institutional campaign: "We are with you; we stop gender violence together".

The "Guide for women who suffer gender violence during covid-19 confinement" has been published on this campaign's website, which reminds us that counselling and care services are still active and have been declared essential to ensure that they are guaranteed during the state of alarm, as are all the posters and materials designed for their dissemination.

The goal is to make as many women who suffer from gender-based violence as possible aware of the resources available to them in the context of covid-19. Now, less than ever they can be left alone.

Gabriela Moriana Mateo.

This article was originally published in Levante