Technical Note on COVID-19 and Harmful Practices

As the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading across the world, it is impacting efforts to end child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). Hundreds of millions of children and adolescents will likely face increasing threats to their safety, including gender-based violence (GBV), exploitation, abuse and neglect, social exclusion, and separation from parents and friends. 

This technical note presents information on the interplay between COVID-19 and harmful practices, and how this can impact children and adolescents.