The impacts of COVID-19 on women are disproportionate. At the economic level, only 53% of women in Colombia participate in the labor market. Of these, 56% are in the economic sectors most affected by the crisis, suffering layoffs, reduced income and increased poverty. This exacerbates tensions in households, causing violence against women. For example, during mandatory isolation, calls to hotlines for women victims of violence have increased 129%, in addition to barriers to access to justice to denounce and stop violations of their rights.

Immediate actions for prevention, mitigation and reparation with a gender focus are required, particularly in sectors prioritized by the effects of the crisis and which account for 32% of employed women: retail trade, hotels and restaurants, and domestic service. This was done through 4 actions: characterization of impacts on women in these sectors; generation of recommendations for companies and the State for the prevention, reparation and non-repetition of impacts with a RBC approach; activation of digital platforms for the exchange of lessons learned; and strengthening the capacities of affected women to exercise and claim their rights. As a result, the risks and impacts of COVID-19 on women in economic sectors prioritized by the effects of the crisis will be prevented and mitigated based on the strengthening of RBC.