The Government has taken unprecedented steps to keep us safe in the COVID-19 outbreak. However, they must also consider the implications for our Human Rights. The Joint Committee on Human Rights is scrutinising Government restrictions and legislation introduced to contain and control the COVID-19 outbreak, including how those measures are implemented, and how they could affect different groups of people differently.

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) have also expressed deep concern about exacerbated inequalities, including the heightened risks of gender-based violence and discrimination faced by women due to the current COVID-19 crisis. CEDAW urges Governments to uphold women’s rights in their responses to the public health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) is the leading national umbrella organisation for the women’s sector, striving to give voice to the most marginalised and disadvantaged organisations, and working towards transformational and substantive equality for women.

WRC have compiled a series of six papers to evidence the impact of the UK Government’s COVID-19 restrictions and legislation as evidence for The Joint Committee on Human Rights enquiry. The themes are in accordance with the CEDAW call for joint action in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper, the third in the series, focuses upon ensuring equal participation of women in decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

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Response to call for evidence from Joint Committee on Human Rights:  The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 crisis upon women’s right to family life (Article 14)

Response to call for evidence from Joint Committee on Human Rights:  The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 crisis upon women’s right to family life (Article 16)

Response to call for evidence from Joint Committee on Human Rights: Paper 1 - Addressing the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s health

Response to call for evidence from Joint Committee on Human Rights: Paper 2 - Protecting women and girls from gender-based violence

Response to call for evidence from Joint Committee on Human Rights: Paper 4 - Providing socio-economic support to women

Response to call for evidence from Joint Committee on Human Rights: Paper 5 - Adopting targeted measures for disadvantaged groups of women  

Response to call for evidence from Joint Committee on Human Rights: Paper 6 - Collecting accurate and comprehensive sex-disaggregated data to inform evidence-based policy making regarding women and girls