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Gender

International Women’s Day 2021 – Sea the She: Recognising women’s contributions to ocean science

5 March 2021 to 5 March 2021
Event
In the lead up to International Women’s Day, the Commonwealth Secretariat will be celebrating women’s contributions to ocean science. Secretary General Baroness Scotland will introduce this special web event highlighting inspiring stories of women from across the Commonwealth who are challenging gender norms through their work in ocean industries.

Opinion: Commonwealth Secretary-General says Covid-19 threatens girls’ access to education

To mark Human Rights Day, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland writes about the need for legislation and policies to ensure that wherever possible girls remain in school. Girls generally experience more barriers to education than their male counterparts, and this has been exacerbated yet further by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read news - Opinion: Commonwealth Secretary-General says Covid-19 threatens girls’ access to education

Blog: New Zealand is first in Commonwealth to grant paid domestic violence leave - other countries should follow suit

Despite the regulation of international laws and national efforts to prevent and deal with family violence, women in New Zealand remain at risk in their homes. This changed in April 2019 when the New Zealand parliament became the first in the Commonwealth to pass national legislation granting victims of domestic violence 10 days of paid leave.
Read news - Blog: New Zealand is first in Commonwealth to grant paid domestic violence leave - other countries should follow suit

Blog: Ending violence against women and girls can add trillions to economy

Beyond the immediate human impact, violence against women and girls also costs billions of dollars a year, be it in lost work, damaged children, hospital fees or police time. The global cost of violence against women and girls was estimated at $1.5 trillion in 2016 – making everyone across the world at least $200 poorer that year.
Read news - Blog: Ending violence against women and girls can add trillions to economy

Blog: COVID puts women in tourism-dependent economies at more risk of violence, but it can stop

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, it was clear that the pandemic was not only a health crisis but also an economic threat. Little did we know that the impact of COVID-19 containment measures and economic pressures would be felt across communities with violence in the homes, particularly against women, rising at an alarming rate.
Read news - Blog: COVID puts women in tourism-dependent economies at more risk of violence, but it can stop