This toolkit is designed to support women-led civil society organisations (CSOs) in the Arab States region to strengthen their capacity to deliver remote services to survivors of violence against women and girls (VAWG).

This publication is produced by Musawah with support from UN Women within the framework of the ‘Men and Women for Gender Equality’ regional programme funded by Sweden.

Ending child marriage is fundamental to gender equality, women’s empowerment, and improving maternal and child health worldwide. It is also an important part of safeguarding the stability of communities and the global economy. This background paper provides an overview of the scope, drivers and consequences of child marriage in the Arab region. It also discusses the importance of estimating the cost of child marriage, examines the feasibility of undertaking a costing study in the Arab region, and reviews the availability of data needed to implement such a task, as well as the appropriate framework to consider when approaching costing child marriage in the region.

This brief suggests that domestic violence has increased in Palestine due to the conditions created by the COVID 19 pandemic, which in most cases resulted in a lockdown of survivors of violence with their abusers. With families in lockdown, helplines are seeing a surge of cases requesting a multitude of services.

This brief explores the implications for the provision of essential services for women and girls who have experienced violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides recommendations for governments, civil society, and international organizations that are seeking to improve the quality of and access to coordinated health, police and justice, and social services for all women and girls during the crisis and provides examples of promising practices to date.