Fiji is calling for a collective effort in the Pacific to protect women from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This week, a United Nations study revealed only one in eight countries worldwide have brought in measures to specifically address the issue.
The report found the global health crisis offers a chance to reshape societies for a fairer future.
But it also found that many nations are failing to protect women and girls from pandemic-linked risks such as a surge in domestic abuse.
Mereseini Vuniwaqa. Photo: Supplied/Fiji govt
Fiji's Minister for Women Mereseini Vuniwaqa said the pandemic is badly affecting women, "The impact of Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the heightened inequalities to women and girls' safety and the limited access to economic resources."
"Women's frontline roles as health workers in service industries and in the care economy have become more visible than ever before. We also have seen gender-based violence increasing at home, online and at public spaces," she said.
Mereseini Vuniwaqa says over 1,000 cases of assault against women were recorded through the ministry's helpline.
According to the ministry, the National Domestic Violence Helpline also recorded a significant increase in calls during the country's lockdown periods.
In April, there were 527 calls received compared to 87 in February and 187 in March, it said.
"Close to 50 percent of women are reporting a correlation between Covid-19 and increased violence, linked directly to the restrictions of movement and economic strain on families," Minister Vuniwaqa said.
Women hard-hit by pandemic: UN
The head of the UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said women are being impacted heavily during the pandemic.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said this was evident for women as victims of domestic violence locked down with their abusers, as unpaid caregivers in families and communities and as workers in jobs that lack social protection.
She said while 71 percent of all gender-related measures identified had focused primarily on preventing violence against women and girls, only 10 percent was aimed at strengthening women's economic security.
She said less than a third of the policy measures focused on unpaid care work.
The COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker analysed state responses to the pandemic in 206 countries to assess whether they included measures to tackle violence against women and girls, support unpaid care or boost women's economic security.
One in five countries failed to bring in Covid-19 responses in any of the three areas, they found, and just 12 percent had taken action in all of them.
Higher-income countries were more likely to have taken action to protect women and girls, the database showed.
In Europe, 93 percent of countries had taken at least one measure, as compared to just 63 percent of African nations.
But the pandemic may still bring positive changes, said UNDP's Achim Steiner.
"The Covid-19 crisis provides an opportunity for countries to transform existing economic models towards a renewed social contract that prioritizes social justice and gender equality," he said.