Institute of Social Studies Trust, in association with Heinrich Boll Stiftung, cordially invites you to the

XXXIII Gender and Economic Policy Discussion Forum on “Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Subsequent Lockdown on violence and women's security”.

Institute of Social Studies Trust, in collaboration with the Heinrich Boll Stiftung, has been organizing these forums for the last 8 years and 2020 marks the ninth iteration in this series. For more information on our previous forums please click here. 

Usually organized in the form of a half-day panel discussion ending with lunch, this year we have decided to go online. 

This year’s topic has been planned keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic situation. It is now well known that the pandemic and lockdown have had several unintended consequences which are glaringly gendered. One such crisis, which many have labelled a ‘shadow pandemic’, is to do with the rapid escalation of violence against women (VAW). Violence against women has escalated both at home as well as other spaces such as workplaces and public spaces. This discussion aims to understand these multiple contexts where VAW has escalated during the pandemic, the implications of such an escalation and women’s coping mechanisms. We wish to hear from expert practitioners about some of the ways in which policy interventions can be designed to address this alarming crisis.  

The online forum is scheduled for September 25, 2020 from 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM IST via Zoom. Please click on this link to register for the event. Registration is free. 

Please find attached the invite and concept note which provide further details regarding the discussion theme, speakers and perspectives which we hope to touch upon. We request you to RSVP to this invite by clicking here. 

Please share and spread this invitation in your networks as we look forward to a diverse audience that brings forth their own questions and perspectives on the theme

It would also be great to hear your thoughts on the theme for this discussion and any suggestions that you may have for our future discussions organized as part of this forum series. Please feel free to comment below or get in touch with me via email for any comments/suggestions.