#WomenAndCovid: The Hidden Victims Of The Pandemic
Startling facts reveal the disproportionate effects that COVID-19 has had on women and girls within the region. Here’s what UN Women are doing to raise awareness on the issues
One would assume the COVID-19 pandemic does not discriminate against gender, equally impacting the lives of men and women around the world, but new information revealed by UN Women confirms this is simply not the case – especially so within the region.
In early July 2020, UN Women shared a video across its social media channels via its regional handle, @UNWomenArabic, with a clear message: women and girls are more likely to suffer in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic within the Arab states.
Produced in two months over a series of Zoom calls by both the UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States and the UN Women Liaison Office based in Abu Dhabi, the sobering statistics and stirring image within the #WomenAndCovid video highlight the exorbitant pressures women have faced since the outbreak occurred earlier this year.
Women & girls are among the hardest hit by #COVID19
Let us unite to ensure that their needs in this pandemic are comprehensively addressed and that their voices are fully represented.
Watch #WomenAndCovid to learn more ⤵️
Images: @AFPphoto@UN_Women | @unwomenuae pic.twitter.com/R0Kyyuj9tU
— UN Women Arabic (@unwomenarabic) July 8, 2020
“What we’re seeing… which the video highlights, is the exacerbation of pre-existing inequalities by the global pandemic, but also by other dynamics that already exist in the region,” says Janneke van der Graaff-Kukler, Deputy Regional Director of the Regional Office of Arab States, for UN Women.
“And from a humanitarian context as well, how it particularly affects vulnerable groups of displaced persons and groups of refugees across the board.”
The facts the video presents are startling: 80 per cent of nursing and care staff within the region are female, putting them at a higher risk of infection; women’s participation in the labour market stands at only 21 per cent, while they are set to lose 700,000 jobs due to the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic.
In the informal economy, 60 per cent of workers are women; they risk losing their livelihoods during the crisis and, therefore, are more likely to fall into poverty as a result. Lockdowns also leave women and girls vulnerable to domestic violence as it cuts them off from social support and services, and limits their access to maternal and reproductive healthcare.
Making up 60 per cent of the informal workforce, women are more likely to lose their livelihoods and fall into poverty due to the pandemic
And with some experts predicting the pandemic may continue on for yet another two years, this is certainly cause for concern that the virus could lead to a regression in progress. “In terms of really looking at this region, the fear is that we will not only not achieve some of the commitments that have been made under the Sustainable Development Goals for the advancement of women, but may also backtrack… on some of the achievements and the results that have already been successfully actioned by governments in this region,” Janneke says, noting the pandemic could also negatively impact initiatives related to preventing the widening gap of gender equality.
“It’s challenging [for women] in terms of accessing social protection or policy stimulus arrangements that governments put in place to support families in the short and in the long run,” she adds. And that’s not all. According to a policy brief by UN Women and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (UNESCWA) there’s a correlation between the pandemic, lockdowns and domestic abuse, with gender-based violence presenting itself in new forms.
Therefore, with a vulnerability for female-led households to fall prey to legislation favouring the misconception that all households are managed by men, along with the added risk of domestic violence and reduced access to both maternal and reproductive healthcare, the conversation surrounding how to rebuild from the pandemic cannot be gender blind; it needs to factor in specific support needs for women as well.
The pandemic is expected to result in the loss of 700,000 jobs held by women in the region
Fortunately, the #WomenAndCovid video is having a strong impact when it comes to raising awareness regarding these concerns. Since July it has reached over 923,000 users across Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook in the Arab States region and beyond, with almost one million views on UN Women’s regional channels for both the Arabic and English versions of the video.
Regional Communications Associate at UN Women, Nourhan A. El-Nagdy saw first-hand the positive implications. “We reached so many people because of the video,” she says, noting that sharing the message in this specific form of media made it easier to communicate to a wider audience. “It took about two months to create. The production, combined with the voiceover – and dealing with the lockdown – meant we had to work online [remotely].”
Services for domestic violence survivors, such as shelters and hotlines, may be strained or de-prioritised during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to UN Women
Janneke notes there is a strong understanding amongst governments within the region for the need to tackle genderbased violence in the current pandemic and to holistically examine economic stimulus packages, along with fiscal and monetary policies put in place, to ensure they are benefitting and supporting all members of the community.
“We’re seeing some good examples of where there is a tackling of social-protection mechanisms that target women in particular, in this context, and also women and men working in the informal sector,” she says, mentioning that Egypt has had some “good practices,” as do other governments within the region.
“One of the challenges will be to maintain and gather data in the longer term, to have an understanding at the highest policy-making level within parliament and civil society on the need to engage and advance women in the economy, to address gender-based violence and the changes that are required around [supporting] unpaid care work. There’s an open space that needs to be filled with data, evidence, ongoing awareness and support,” she adds.
“It’s a critical moment for women’s rights organisations, committed to coming together to work with governments and create that understanding… and, really, make sure that they meet the critical actions that are required to achieve national development and sustainable development goals for women and girls.”
For more information, visit arabstates.unwomen.org
All images courtesy of UN Women.
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s October 2020 issue.