Press release: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and Academy-Award winning actor Nicole Kidman raises awareness on ending violence against women during COVID-19

New York, 8 June – In an effort to raise awareness on the staggering increase in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and actor Nicole Kidman today joined UN Women Regional Specialist for Asia and the Pacific, Melissa Alvarado in a conversation about this alarming phenomenon and how to address it. In the in-depth 6-minute video, the Academy-Award winning actor shines a light on violence against women and girls, a gross human rights violation that impacts one in three women worldwide, and suggests concrete actions everyone can take to address this scourge during the pandemic and beyond.

“In my work as a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women and as an actor, I have learned about the violence that women and girls experience in different countries and contexts. As I have travelled with UN Women, I have heard from survivors and women who may not even know they have a right to a life free from violence. So, we need to support them in every way possible. We need to amplify these issues, make them visible and bring them to the foreground. Having conversations such as this one on ending violence against women is crucial for women to know they are not alone.”

The COVID-19 social distancing and lockdown measures, while imperative to contain the spread of the virus, have put households under increased strains because of threats to health and safety, increased money worries, and cramped and confined living conditions. This, experts say, has led to a spike in reports of domestic violence, and also to an increase of violence against women in online and public spaces.

“Women with violent partners are increasingly finding themselves isolated from their families, and the people and resources that can help them through helplines, health clinics and police stations. Many can’t make phone calls or get online without being noticed by a controlling family member. As health service providers and governments shift resources to the public health crisis, life-saving care and support to survivors in danger are being disrupted, which impacts helplines, shelters, counseling, policing and justice services. But we have to keep the focus and the resources intact, and ensure that help can be reached, and essential services are available for women who are in danger,” said Melissa Alvarado, UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women Programme Specialist for the Asia and the Pacific region.

The conversation however focuses in large part not only on the surge of violence, but on the steps — from the individual to the community and national level – to address it. Some of the UN Women recommendations that could save lives of women at risk, include: being aware and informed of the shadow pandemic of violence; checking in on your friends; finding out if they are okay or need support; educating yourself about domestic violence and local helplines contacts; as well as about signs to recognize if someone you know is in a potentially violent relationship. Other measures include helping raise awareness about the increased risks of violence against women, or volunteering time, or donating resources if one is able, to women’s rights organizations.

During the pandemic UN Women is working with organizations on the ground to boost services for survivors of violence, ensure essential information and helpline contacts are accurate and valid in the current circumstances for everyone, including the most vulnerable and marginalized.

UN Women is working with governments, women’s organizations and networks, and front-line providers, to respond to the needs of women and girls up front, and shape solutions to meet these lifesaving needs. In some countries, UN Women is providing essential sanitation supplies for clinics and shelters and supporting the use of digital technology as part of moving to remote support, to seamlessly maintain services for vulnerable women. UN Women has also produced a series of in-depth Policy Briefs on ending violence against women during COVID-19. Recently, UN Women announced additional financial support over USD 9 million to the critical work of grassroots women’s organizations through the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, in partnership with the Spotlight Initiative and the European Union.

“Long before the pandemic we were condemning the effects of discrimination and the totally unacceptable scale of violence of all forms against women across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences have triggered a further increase of violence, especially domestic violence, in a ‘shadow pandemic’. The extent to which violence, discrimination and inequality are embedded in society means that uprooting them is also a job for all of society,” added UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

Even before the pandemic hit , UN Women has worked at many different levels to address violence against women as one of its key priorities: supporting civil society organizations that provide services for survivors covering safety, shelter, health, justice and others; working with countries to reform laws that do not protect survivors of violence; building capacities of institutions like the police or justice systems to better prevent and respond to violence against women; and leading advocacy efforts so there is increased awareness on violence against women and to change harmful norms and social practices.

Nicole Kidman has been collaborating on humanitarian causes throughout her career, including as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador since 2006. Her efforts are geared towards raising awareness on the infringement of women’s human rights around the world, with a particular focus on putting a spotlight on violence against women.