ABSTRACT
Recent years have seen significant progress towards ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere, until the onset of COVID-19 put an abrupt end to many encouraging developments. The relationship between religion and gender equality is long and complex as many religions are not exactly known to be on the forefront of the fight against gender-based inequalities. Yet religion is a crucial factor in this matrix. Religion serves to cement or challenge traditional gender roles and to uphold or transform harmful practices such as child marriage or female genital mutilation (FGM). In a final part of this chapter, Sandra Iman Pertek, UK, explores the role of Islam in violence against women and girls.
