To protect women from violence today, we must secure justice for victims in the past | FW de Klerk

South Africa's former president calls for the pandemic to be a turning point in strengthening the rule of law and empowering survivors

Violence and sexual assault have surged across the globe since the onset of Covid-19, in what the UN has called a shadow pandemic". Even before the pandemic, one in three women experienced physical or sexual assault globally, the World Health Organization reported this week.

In Africa, the impact has been particularly acute. In the first half of 2020, a rise in reported cases prompted Liberia's President Weah to declare rape and all forms of gender-based violence a national emergency.