Impact of Global Pandemics on the Increase of GBV in Africa - a Case Study of Covid 19 and Ebol

Abstract

The study sought to evaluate the effects of Ebola and Covid-19 pandemics on Gender-based violence (GBV) in Africa, to examine the effectiveness of counter GBV measures during the Ebola and Covid-19 pandemics in Africa, and to evaluate prospects and challenges of intervention measures to address GBV during Ebola and Covid-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone. For this study, the social control theory was utilized as framework for analysis. The study is based on qualitative research design. The Study established that pandemics like COVID-19 and Ebola lead to breakdown of societal infrastructure, functional security, legal, sanitation, food, transport, health and other structures of governance become either temporarily ineffective or reduced. The reduced effectiveness in the delivery of such government services expose children and women to risky and unsafe situations including, GBV and harassment. Pandemics amplify existing conflicts and weakness by destabilizing social infrastructure. Existing gender inequality in the society is therefore intensified during pandemics. When doing their regular activities like getting firewood, food, and water, women and children are further exposed to sexual abuse and harassment. GBV is also increased when the law is broken during epidemic scenarios. According to the report, there are significant gender disparities in Africa that put women and girls at higher risk of experiencing gender-based violence during humanitarian crises. For instance, during the COVID-19 epidemic, the East African Community recorded a large increase in occurrences of gender-based violence, notably sexual assault, by over 48%. Due to lockdown measures and a decrease in financial resources, home violence in Cameroon is said to have increased by about 35.8% for both men and women during the pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, gender-based violence against women and children in the Central African Republic escalated by approximately 69%, with reported injuries due to sexual violence and other assaults. Similar observations have also been made in North Africa since the pandemic’s start. The study established that the failure to include gender-related issues in the policy framework of intervention measures addressing the Ebola pandemic in Sierra Leone had a massive impact on the prevalence of GBV cases during the same period. While the government prioritized the efforts aimed at combating the Ebola pandemic, GBV cases skyrocketed, often unnoticed and unreported. The measures aimed at curbing the spread of Ebola such as quarantine and school closures were being implemented in the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, girls and women faced increased cases of exploitation, coercion, and sexual abuse. There are numerous mechanisms for reporting GBV cases in Sierra Leone. The study recommends that measures should be taken to mainstream gender-based violence across all sectors to promote sustainability. Different COVID-19 and Ebola response tactics ignored the vital significance of services for gender-based violence, which may have saved lives. Such services, such as one-stop crisis centers and safe places, may be desirable to women and girls in times of need since they make assistance more physically accessible. They would spend less time commuting to healthcare facilities, which would lessen their vulnerability to gender-based violence and COVID-19 risks. In times of humanitarian catastrophe, it is essential to move fast because women and girls are disproportionately affected by the synergistic connection between gender-based violence and the pandemic