The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called for the protection of women and girls in the response to the recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda.
The international aid organisation, in a statement, said women and girls, being the primary caregivers to the sick and the elderly, are easily exposed to the disease.
Ugandan health authorities, on 20 September, declared an outbreak of the Ebola disease caused by the Sudan virus following laboratory confirmation of a patient from the Mubende district in Central Uganda.
So far, up to 60 cases, 23 confirmed deaths, and 20 probable Ebola-related deaths have been reported.
According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) September 2022 report on the outbreak, 62 percent of the total confirmed and suspected cases were female.
The IRC said women and girls have long been in harm’s way before the outbreak of the Ebola disease as they remain invariably vulnerable to physical, emotional, and sexual harassment or violence.
‘Even without an outbreak or crisis, women and girls are invariably vulnerable to physical, emotional, and sexual harassment or violence’, IRC’s Country Director for Uganda, Elijah Okeyo, is quoted as saying.
‘This is because of the ingrained pre-existing gender norms, practices and inequalities in families and communities. This Ebola outbreak will inevitably exacerbate the negative effects of these inequalities.
‘This was seen during the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa where women and girls were disproportionately affected, leading to both an increase in sexual and domestic violence.
‘The IRC has for a long time delivered women and girls-centered programs during crises across all our areas of operation’.
The IRC said it will continue to provide support for women and girls-centered programmes by collaborating with Uganda’s Ministry of Health to deliver integrated health programmes, providing both direct health services and gender-based violence-related services.
According to the organisation, community structures such as the village health teams (VHTs) and IRC protection and response officers will also be engaged to extend these services to hard-to-reach areas.
Source: IRC
Photo source: EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid
