The COVID-19 pandemic magnifies all existing inequalities – While home is widely considered the safest place to be for many, this is far from reality for many women and girls suffering from one form of abuse as crises can often further limit women’s ability to get away from abuse, and place victims/survivors in an environment without appropriate access to services, such as shelter away from abusers and accountability for abuse.
The imposition of self-isolation due to theCOVID-19 pandemic can amplify the abuser’s ability to restrict women’s freedoms and leave them at heightened risks. The unprecedented global lockdown presents enormous repercussions for the safety of women and girls confined with abusive intimate partners and family members. This has inadvertently trigger increased global incidence of domestic abuse and other forms of Sexual and Gender-based violence.
GRID with support from the Urgent Action Fund-Africa has launched SGBVWatch, a radio program to raise awareness on the increase on Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) and access to reporting, response and support services for victims/survivors of SGBV during the lockdown.
