Since the announcement of the first Covid-19 case in East Africa, the East African Community (EAC) member states – comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania – have been actively enforcing measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Development Diaries understands that apart from social distancing and hygiene measures, member states employed cash transfer and tax relief to cushion the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable populations.

However, with the lockdown in place, more gender-based violence (GBV) cases across the member states have been reported.

Ministries in charge of gender across East Africa have reported near a 48 percent increase in the gender-based violence cases, including physical and emotional abuse, rape, sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriages, reported to the police or through the GBV toll-free lines.

The ministers, as well, noted that the region’s response to Covid-19 had further worsened risk factors for vulnerable populations such as women, young people, and persons living with disabilities (PWDs) as they are now reported to be locked at homes with their abusers.

Also, reports reveal that many female informal workers, who are the primary providers for their households, live and work in conditions characterised by over-crowding and limited essential water and sanitation facilities.

The trend of events, according to the EAC, therefore provides an opportunity for urgent GBV interventions, to ensure that countries in East Africa comply with the international and regional commitments to gender equality and the promotion of human rights.

Source: EAC

Photo source: Eastern Congo Initiative