| Unfortunately, there is an attitude that VAWG is unimportant in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This briefing paper endeavours to highlight just how untrue and unjust that attitude is.
The disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on women and girls in the Greater Horn of Africa stems from structural and systemic inequalities that existed before the pandemic. Closely following the social, political, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, SIHA staff in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda have observed an increased prevalence of VAWG in these countries. Evidence of this dangerous trend has been extracted from SIHA’s work in the region, alongside insights from SIHA staff and members, and an amalgamation of the lived realities of women and girls that have been documented over the past two months.
It is abundantly clear that the economic and health crisis of COVID-19 is quietly feeding into a shadow crisis: VAWG. The increased risk and exposure to violence that women and girls are facing has begun to receive attention, but so far, little government action has been taken to address this issue, and in fact, many COVID-19 response measures are exacerbating the problem. When implementing measures necessary for public health, governments have a responsibility and a duty to implement them alongside complementary measures which use gender-responsive approaches to ensure that the equal rights of women and girls are fully protected. Until the protection of women and girls from discriminatory violence is prioritized, Greater Horn of Africa leaders will continue to govern their nations with blood on their hands”.
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