UN: Worse now for women peace builders than before COVID

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. human rights chief says women seeking to participate in shaping and building peace and defending human rights face a “vastly worse” situation now than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. Michelle Bachelet told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that in 2020 her office verified 35 killings of women human rights defenders, journalists and trade union members in seven conflict-affected countries where data is available. She called the number “an undercount” that surpassed the confirmed number of killings in 2018 and 2019. Bachelet said her office also documented attacks against women working on gender equality, sexual rights and corruption.