Impacts of COVID-19 on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Programs and ServicesColombia established an early and strict lockdown on March 17, 2020. On March 22, 2020, through Decree 460, the national government ordered that GBV prevention activities continue to be provided. However, courts suspended hearings, creating massive judicial backlogs and delays in GBV processes, and SRHR was not deemed essential until April 21, 2020. Further, GBV and SRHR services failed to reach historically oppressed groups, like indigenous populations, racialized groups, and Venezuelan migrants.Researchers at Columbia University working with a local researcher¹ interviewed 20 GBV and SRHR service providers and other stakeholders between August and September 2020 to understand how policies to contain COVID-19 affected critical GBV/SRHR services. Interviewees included donors and medical, social work, law, sociology, and psychology professionals directly working on GBV and SRHR service provision…

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. (2020). Impacts of COVID-19 on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Programs and Services – Colombia.