UN Women (April 2020)
Women and girls are more likely to experience distinct challenges and risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. UN Women estimates that 243 million women and girls aged 15–49 have been subjected to sexual and/or physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner in the last 12 months. The number is likely to increase as security, health and money worries heighten tensions due to confined living conditions. As “Stay At Home” recommendations and lockdown orders expand to contain the spread of the virus, women with violent partners increasingly find themselves isolated from the people and resources that can help them. The cost implication of gender based violence against women is estimated at US$1.5 trillion globally.
RISKS
Women and girls’ vulnerabilities increase due to limited involvement and/or control in decision-making on a household’s response, and shifts in social safety nets, mobility and access to information/services. School closures and quarantines further contribute to exacerbate these risks.
Cultural gender roles demonstrate that women are primarily responsible for procuring and cooking food for their households thus increasing food insecurity may place them at heightened risks and tensions from their partners resulting in domestic violence. As the socio-economic situation worsens, risks of intimate partner violence (IPV), survival sex, transactional sex, sexual exploitation and abuse by community members.
Life-saving care and support to GBV survivors which includes clinical management of rape, mental health and psychological support may be disrupted in the health centres due to the COVID-19 patients pre-occupation by the health care service providers.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To mitigate these risks, we recommend the following inexhaustible list:
Collection and provision of disaggregated data to enable appropriate responses on COVID-19 implications.
Address barriers impeding access to health services by considering mobility constraints and safety concerns.
Equip women and girls with dignity kits to ensure that menstrual health is not compromised and ease the caregiver burden which is predominantly held by women.
Consultations with women and girls for their own localised preparedness plans that can be scaled up.
GBV coordinators to work with local governments to ease the resource mobilisation burden and use existing structures for efficient service delivery.
Ensure data protection protocols are adapted to fit new modalities and update GBV referral pathways for access and confidentiality purposes.
Prioritise programming through women-led organisations whenever feasible.
The Power Tower Kenya will Continue to monitor the situation and endeavour to sensitive the Kenyan public to exercise responsibility and compliance with Kenya’s laws as well as recommendations from the Global Partners — among them, the World Health Organization that has been at the forefront in disseminating Public Information about the COVID-19 Health Pandemic.
Communications Dept.
Contact: thepowertowerke@gmail.com
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