Having the Conversation: Gender Based Violence during the pandemic

The scourge of Gender Based Violence is an issue which affects people from all sectors of society. We asked Network members what they felt should be done to combat GBV within countries and communities during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Here is what they had to say.

Mickreen Adhiambo

Kenya

"There is more to gender-based violence than a physical scar. There is emotional violence - when someone takes down your self-esteem, there is psychological violence - when someone keeps telling others that they are not good enough, they’ll never be good enough.” Women and girls bear the huge brunt of GBV, having to bear the multiple gender roles and having to survive under the mercy of the perpetrators. There is a need to have prompt gender violence response systems from legal redress to psycho-social support for survivors, most especially during this pandemic.
Danson N Tushabe

Uganda

GBV has robbed innocent children of their loving parents. Forcing and scattering siblings amongst their relatives, friends and strangers, sending some to live on the streets.
Then COVID19 Crisis has and continues to increase risks of women and girls experiencing gender based violence.  As majority are rendered jobless and can no longer provide for their families, conflicts in homes are more likely to increase. There’s a need to help companies to keep their operations, so that workers can keep their jobs and speed up the recovery process. This coupled with in community awareness and empowerment can put this GBV monster to an end both now and post COVID.
Ending GBV is a collective responsibility! Me, you, everybody can take action. Together we can make a difference!
Catarina Domingos Victorino

Mozambique

I believe it is critical that more work be done at community level engaging on  gender-based violence. A lot of girls and women suffer some form of violence and they do not even know that they are going through some kind of gender based violence hence it never gets reported. We must all ACT and aim for an end to GBV.
Onward Chironda

Zimbabwe

The lockdown has rendered girls and women more vulnerable to SGBV, it is important that key stakeholders expand efforts to target young people, women and men with key messages to raise awareness as well as ensuring and enforcing legal and support mechanisms for survivors!
  Busisiwe Diko

South Africa.

I feel GBV is a pandemic on its own because women and young girls are killed often yet nothing much is being done about it. Some cases are orchestrated by women for other women to be victimised we can not deny that.

Our government should put deliberate efforts toward poverty alliviation and curbing some cultural practices which perpetuate GBV.

Instead of being treated like animals or entertainment systems I wish women can be strengthened in leadership and financial independence.