COVID-19- YWCA wants holistic epidemic management approach to address pandemic
The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Nigeria says there is need for a holistic epidemic management approach to address COVID-19 pandemic in communities.
According to the association, this will ensure an all-inclusive approach and integration of gender into the COVID-19 response.
Mrs Otuodichinma Nweke, National General Secretary, YWCA, made the call during a stakeholders webinar on Monday to present findings of a needs assessment survey carried out by the organisation in Lagos.
Reports state that the YWCA of Nigeria, through the Bread For The World Project funded by the World Movement in Geneva Switzerland, took up a need assessment to document the experience of women and girls in Lagos State with COVID- 19.
The needs assessment also set the gender specific advocacy agenda on COVID-19 response in Lagos State and Nigeria by extension
“With the COVID-19 outbreak and the global absence of an effective therapy or limited access to an effective vaccine, it is anticipated that the pandemic will have more severe adverse consequences, especially on women and girls.
“This is because women and girls are usually the worse hit in health emergencies.
“The effects will be direr on the vulnerable women and girls with primary focus on their sexual and reproductive health and rights, psycho-social and mental well-being.
“The national response on COVID-19 is primarily centered on disease surveillance and prevention of infection transmission, which is an understandable approach.
“However, it has missed the community response link that brings to bare the holistic approach to epidemic control.”
According to Nweke , it is a known fact that health emergencies disproportionately impact on the sexual health and rights of women and girls, exacerbating the existing gender inequalities and increases the risk of gender based violence and sexual abuse.
“COVID-19 pandemic has therefore, become a triple jeopardy for vulnerable women and girls, because of its associated increased risk of gender based violence, economic hardship and limited ability to access information and protection services.
“With the first wave of COVID-19 infection in Nigeria, the government of Nigeria introduced non- pharmaceutical measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19.
“These include legislation on total lock down and subsequent phase relaxation of the lockdown, mandatory use of face masks in public places and need to maintain social distancing and avoid gathering.
“These measures are very critical for controlling the pandemic, but they pose gender disparity with associated increased risk in domestic violence, abuse and sexual exploitation,” she said.
Nweke said that the economic hardship resulting from the lockdown legislation on COVID-19 created very huge economic problem for women especially vulnerable women who depend on daily income to have meals on their table.
“This invariably increased the inability of women to meet their needs and that of their family members with subsequent increase in the incidence of domestic violence.
“The lockdown further restricted their movement therefore confined women and girls in abusive and unhealthy relationship.
Consequently, she urged that the COVID-19 response task team expand its diseases surveillance and prevention of infection transmission approach to a broader community engagement and response approach.
This will allow all inclusive approach and integration of gender lens into the COVID-19 response
“The COVID-19 response must recognise the existing gender inequality with associated gender based violence and build in a response approach that recognises women and girls as vulnerable population that needs additional support in term of access to accurate information, psycho-social and mental health support services.
“The ministry of health and gender focused NGOs must continue to advocate for the integration of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and mental health support services as core component of COVID-19 lockdown response and for future health emergencies.
“Also, help lines and call centers should be established by government agencies like the ministry of women affairs, Ministry of Youths, NGOS and human rights groups that will accept calls on a 24 hours and seven days basis.
“Social protection, palliative and personal protective equipment distribution must give priority to women and girls as front-liners ponders at the family and community level for COVID-19 and future health emergencies,” she said.
