UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. 

This brief from highlights emerging trends and implications for women’s and girls’ safety in public spaces and cities during the Covid-19 pandemic. It recognises the continuum of violence against women and girls in private and public settings throughout different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It provides examples of concrete action taken at the local level in partnership with governments, grassroots women and women’s rights organizations, the private sector and other partners, including from cities participating in the UN Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Flagship Initiative, and in particular from cities where the disease is widespread.

The brief includes recommendations to be considered by governments, international organisations, women’s rights and other civil society organisations.

It is a living document that complements other policy briefs prepared by UN Women on COVID-19 and ending violence against women. It draws upon the knowledge and experience of a wide range of experts who support solutions to end sexual harassment and other forms of violence against women and girls in urban, rural and online settings, attentive to the country context in which the crisis is occurring.