Globally, around 450 million women across 114 low and middle-income countries use contraceptives, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the medical supplies, UNPFA has released alarming data on how Covid-19 lockdowns affect women and girls across the world.<br /><br /><br />Lockdowns could lead to 7 million unintended pregnancies: UN<br /><br /><br /><br />The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be a long war for mankind and the estimated human cost could be extraordinary.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Ongoing lockdowns have posed major disruptions to health services during the COVID-19 pandemic <br /><br /><br /><br />47 million women in low and middle-income countries are unable to use contraceptives<br /><br /><br />This may lead to 7 million unintended pregnancies in the coming months, according to the UN <br /><br /><br />The United Nations Population Fund and Agencies estimate major crisis for women across the world<br /><br /><br />The number of women facing unintended pregnancies could 'skyrocket" by millions due to Covid-19<br /><br /><br />Gender-based violence and other harmful practices, could also see a major rise due to the crisis.<br /><br /><br /><br />"The new data shows the catastrophic impact that COVID-19 could soon have on women and girls globally," UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem said.<br /><br /><br /><br />"The pandemic is deepening inequalities, and millions more women and girls now risk...<br /><br /><br /><br />... losing the ability to plan their families and protect their bodies and their health," Kanem said.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The economic and physical disruptions could have vast consequences for the rights and health of women and girls<br /><br /><br />Globally, around 450 million women across 114 low and middle-income countries use contraceptives, the study said.<br /><br /><br /><br />6 months of lockdowns could result in 7 million unintended pregnancies, an additional 31 million cases of gender-based violence," it said.<br /><br /><br />The pandemic has caused significant delays in programmes to end female genital mutilation and child marriage<br /><br /><br />This may result in an estimated two million more cases of FGM over the next decade <br /><br /><br />These delayed programmes, could result in an estimated 13 million more child marriages over 10 years.<br /><br /><br />There also will be 31 million additional cases of gender-based violence during the same period<br /><br /><br /><br />The projections offer an alarming view of the future that could confront women and girls<br /><br /><br /><br />The UNFPA said, it's important to prioritise the needs of women and girls of reproductive age during the pandemic.<br />
