The COVID-19 pandemic is already having a devastating effect
on families, communities and economies across the globe. Today, nine out of 10
children are in lockdown in their homes as part of the response to the
coronavirus pandemic.
Schools are closed, social services are disrupted and
movement is curtailed as family’s shelter in their homes. But for too many
young girls, their homes are not safe places. Experience shows that during
health emergencies, children—especially young girls—face increased risk of
sexual exploitation and abuse.
We are already beginning to see a rise in domestic
abuse during the shutdown, and I can predict that sexual abuse of
children, especially young girls, is also going to increase as the crisis
continues. As families are confined and young girls spend more time at
home, they are more vulnerable to prolonged sexual abuse without the
interruption of school and other normal daily activities.
Additionally, abusers may feel more secure to act with
increased impunity as access to social services dwindle and external
interactions are further restricted. And with the current situation curtailing
young girls’ ability to seek refuge outside their homes, the likelihood of them
escaping from their abusers is bleak.
During times of economic insecurity, such as what we’re now
seeing during the COVID-19 pandemic, households and families often react with
negative coping strategies such as substance abuse, increased debt
and transactional sex.
Another is child marriage, which can be seen as a last
resort during economic shocks and limited access to basic services.
Faced with the challenge of providing for daughters—and
often with limited access to health, education and protection services—some
families are likely to marry their girl children off to older men in
an attempt to gain some measure of financial security. With the COVID-19
pandemic predicted to push half a billion people into poverty, there
will likely be a resulting surge in child marriages in many parts of the
world.
Girls who are married as children face a host of negative
outcomes, including poorer health, teenage pregnancy, reduced lifetime earnings
and dropping out of school. These outcomes extend beyond the individual
consequences faced by the girls, to losses borne by their families, communities
and countries as a result of child marriage.
At national and global levels, lost earnings and persistent poverty
linked to child marriage result in lost economic potential amounting to
over US $26 billion annually.
Now Is the Time to Address the Root
Causes of Violence
Experience from the Ebola crisis in Africa and other acute
emergencies strongly suggests that girls and women will be disproportionately
affected, particularly amongst the poorest and socially marginalized groups.
But wait; COVID-19 does not cause sexual violence against
young girls, teenage pregnancy or child marriage. These outcomes are driven by
existing gender inequalities and harmful gender norms that are exacerbated in
times of crisis by economic shocks, forced confinement and increased stress.
And they can be mitigated by a range of potential interventions.
For girls who are not in school, engaging them in productive
activities with other girls in their age group can limit time spent around
older men. In cases where girls are receiving online tutoring, educators can be
trained to watch out for and report girls demonstrating unusual behavior.
Ensuring that girls, their families and their communities
receive access to appropriate information is also crucial for mitigating sexual
abuse. This can range from providing information on available support services
for potential victims of sexual violence to providing targeted information to
boys about appropriate sexual behaviors towards girls in this lockdown period.
Other actions include ensuring pregnant girls can continue
their education; providing economic support to families with integrated sensitization
on the importance of girls’ education; and engaging men and boys in addressing
harmful gender norms and recognizing the value of girls’ education.
Taken together, these interventions cannot only address
near-term scenarios, but also the underlying causes and root problems—and spur
greater wellbeing for girls and their families in both the near- and long-term.
#StopCOVID19 #StopTeenageMarriages #GenderEquality #EndTeenageSexualAbuse #EndSexualViolence
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