The ‘Global shadow pandemic' we still don't talk about

Time of India

a day ago

She is a tech entrepreneur, author, and relentless advocate for gender equality in STEM and beyond. Over the past 20 years, she had immersed herself in the fast-paced world of technology and AI, building innovative products and leading initiatives that challenge the status quo. LESS ... MORE
If one-third of men worldwide were being assaulted, it would be declared a global emergency.
So why isn't it – when that's the reality for women?
Violence against women and girls is not a sidebar to global crises. It is the crisis. And it's been going on long before COVID, conflicts, or climate collapse. Gender-based violence (GBV) is the world's oldest, quietest, and deadliest pandemic, a daily emergency hiding in plain sight.
More than one in three women globally have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Let that sink in. This figure hasn't changed much in decades, despite increased awareness and policy talk. From domestic abuse and sexual assault to child marriage, trafficking, female genital mutilation and online harassment, the forms of violence vary, but the pattern doesn't. Across cultures, classes, and countries, being female still comes with a built-in risk factor. How can women fully participate in society or enjoy their rights if they cannot even feel safe in their own homes or communities?
The most dangerous place for a woman? Home.
Not long ago, I found my house help standing in the kitchen, arm swollen, face bruised, silence louder than any scream. Her husband, an addict, had beaten her again. For money. When I asked why she stayed, she said, 'Where will I go with my children? A woman without a man isn't just judged, she lives under the weight of every prying eye.'
This is not an isolated story. It's the everyday reality for millions of women, some visible, many invisible. And the most damning part? The system expects them to endure.
We often frame safety in terms of war or street crime. But for women, the front line is usually home. According to the UN, 137 women are killed every day by a family member. That's one woman murdered every 11 minutes, by someone she likely trusted. This isn't poetic metaphor. It's femicide. And it makes clear that the so-called 'war on women' is more than a slogan; in many places, it's a chilling reality.
In 2022, only 57% of women across 139 countries felt safe walking alone at night in their neighbourhood, according to the SDG Gender Index. Which means nearly half the world's women feel unsafe just… existing. Alone. After dark.
And, crises don't create misogyny, they expose it
Violence doesn't pause for a pandemic or war. In fact, crises accelerate it. During COVID-19 lockdowns, domestic violence helplines reported a 30–50% surge in calls as women were trapped with their abusers. In conflict zones, from Ukraine to Tigray, rape is still used as a weapon of war. And after natural disasters like floods or wildfires, domestic abuse spikes dramatically.
One Australian study after the 2009 bushfires, found that women in affected areas reported significantly higher rates of abuse. The formula is disturbingly predictable: stress, instability, displacement, and broken safety nets become breeding grounds for violence.
Where systems crack, misogyny leaks in.
Patriarchy writes the rules, and women pay the price
At its core, gender-based violence is powered by unequal power – structural, cultural, and legal. In societies where men's authority is unquestioned and women's subservience is expected, violence becomes normalised.
Take this: more than one in four countries still don't have explicit laws protecting women from domestic violence. In some places, marital rape isn't even considered a crime. In others, rapists can escape punishment by marrying their victims. These aren't legal loopholes. They are permission slips.
Even where laws exist, they're often toothless. Survivors face stigma, disbelief, and a justice system more interested in their character than their complaint. Globally, less than 40% of women who experience violence report it or seek help, not because it's rare, but because justice feels out of reach.
And then there's the culture:
'Why didn't she leave?'
'What was she wearing?'
'Why did she provoke him?'
Questions like these aren't just ignorant – they're complicit.
A broken system that costs lives, and billions
This isn't just a women's issue. It's a societal collapse in slow motion.
The World Bank estimates that intimate partner violence alone costs countries around 3% of their GDP, as much as diseases like HIV/AIDS. Survivors lose jobs, education, health, and social networks. Children exposed to violence carry emotional trauma for life and are more likely to replicate it.
Even peace is at risk. Research shows that the best predictor of a country's peacefulness is how it treats its women. Where women are unsafe, societies are unstable.
Laws are not enough. Culture needs surgery
There's no denying progress. The global response to #MeToo made sexual violence a mainstream issue. More countries are outlawing street harassment and even marital rape. Grassroots activism is louder than ever.
But laws on paper mean nothing if they're unfunded, unenforced, or undermined.
Here's what real progress must look like:
Make laws that scare abusers, not survivors
Every form of GBV should be criminalised: from physical assault to digital stalking and economic abuse. Police, prosecutors, and judges need gender-sensitive training, and fast-tracked GBV courts can help survivors get justice without being re-traumatised.
Shelters aren't luxury, they're lifelines
Shelters, hotlines, trauma counselling, legal aid, these aren't optional. They're critical infrastructure. And yet in many countries, there are only a handful of safe houses for millions of women. That's not just neglect. It's structural indifference.
Raise better boys before we raise the next law
We need gender education in schools. Boys and girls must learn about consent, respect, and relationships that don't rely on power or control. Public campaigns must flip the blame from victim to perpetrator, where it belongs.
Call out the power brokers who excuse violence
When a politician jokes about sexual assault or a religious leader preaches female submission, that isn't rhetoric, it's rot. Leaders must be held to a higher standard. Every country should have a national action plan on GBV, with transparent goals and public tracking.
Technology can save, or destroy, lives
Tech is a double-edged sword. On one side, apps and SMS helplines now allow discreet calls for help. On the other, online harassment is skyrocketing, and surveillance tech like stalking apps are being weaponised by abusers. As the digital world grows, so must our protections.
There's progress, but it's not inevitable
The good news? Attitudes are shifting. In the last decade, the number of women who believe domestic violence is justifiable has declined significantly in many regions. In countries like Rwanda, integrated legal reform and women's empowerment programs have driven down abuse rates.
But this shift didn't happen by accident. It happened because people, policies, and pressure converged.
No safety, no progress. Period.
Let's be clear: we cannot talk about economic empowerment, political participation, or digital inclusion for women if they're not even safe. Safety is not a luxury. It's the floor on which every other right stands.
The SDG Gender Index calls safety a prerequisite for equality. But governments still treat GBV like a 'women's issue' instead of the full-blown security and development crisis that it is.
Until we treat GBV like a pandemic, with urgency, funding, and political will, millions of women and gender-diverse people will remain on the front lines of a war they never signed up for.
In the next article in this series, we'll turn to a crisis reshaping the ground beneath us -Climate change. From floods to food insecurity, why women and girls are the most vulnerable to a crisis they didn't cause, and why gender justice must be at the heart of climate action.
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author's own.