Women's issues amid corona pandemic

African governments have come under the spotlight for not considering women's issues while developing covid19 policies.

 

Some 47 per cent of participants in a poll conducted by Africa.com on May 13 stated that women's issues are not being considered.

 

The poll was part of its webinar series, Crisis Management for African Business Leaders.

 

Cases of sexual violence have soared since Kenya recorded the first case of coronavirus on March 13 and started enforcing measures such as staying at home and closing schools.

 

Sexual offences have overtaken other crimes as the country restricts movement. This has prompted the Ministry of Health to call for more protection of those vulnerable to sexual and gender violence.

 

Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi in the past said, “We remind everyone that the law has not been suspended and that it will catch up with those who mete violence on others during this period."

 

The Africa.com poll showed that some 28 per cent thought African governments are taking women's issues into consideration while 25 per cent had no opinion on the issue.

 

The concerns also affect the Ministry of Education, which is worried of a possible rise in cases of teenage pregnancies and early marriages sparked by prolonged closure of schools.

 

The draft Kenya Basic Education Sector Covid-19 Emergency response plan dated April 19, says if the schools closure is prolonged, adolescent girls are twice likely to be out of school.

 

Seventy per cent also thought that compared to Western countries, professional women do not have community resources and support to remain resilient to the challenges posed by covid19.

 

According to UN Women executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, “The majority of health workers are women and that puts them at highest risk. Most of them are also parents and care givers to family members. They continue to carry the burden of care, which is already disproportionally high in normal times. This puts women under considerable stress."

 

Evidence is also mounting that the economic impacts of covid-19 will hit women harder, as more women work in low-paying, insecure and informal jobs.

 

More participants agreed that one of the major shifts occurring as a result of the pandemic is that African women will gain ground in business and society.

 

UN Women Programme and Intergovernmental Division Policy director Sarah Hendriks also says the agency is working with partners to make sure the gender-differential impact of coronavirus is taken into account in the response strategies at country, regional and global levels.

 

The almost 1,500 business leaders who took part in the poll were from 46 African countries.

 

The largest representation came from Nigeria, followed by South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia.