The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified flaws in healthcare, agriculture, education, and social services systems. It has also further exacerbated the marginalisation of already vulnerable groups of people, such as women, children, the disabled, the elderly, and ethnic minorities.
In March, an estimated 3.9 billion people (roughly half of the world’s population) were under some form of government-mandated lockdown, leaving several domestic violence survivors stuck at home with their abusers. As billions around the world self-isolate to protect themselves from contracting the coronavirus, women and girls are more exposed to forms of gender-based violence.
Before the pandemic, women and girls were already disproportionately affected by gender-based violence. According to the World Bank, 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence. The quarantines and/or self-isolation is putting pressure on the home environment at the same time when people are experiencing reduced income and job losses, and mental health challenges related to COVID-19. This environment has likely contributed to the spike in domestic and gender-based violence, in many countries.
Nigeria has reported a spike in domestic and gender-based violence cases since the lockdown was first enforced across Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, and Kano. This surge in domestic abuse reports has also been recorded in countries around the world. In March, France offered to provide temporary shelter for survivors of domestic violence in hotels due to this rise in reported cases. In Nigeria, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) reportedly started receiving twice the number of domestic violence complaints two days into the lockdown.
Nigeria’s surge in reporting comes in the context of already high levels of domestic and gender-based violence. According to data from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), 28 per cent of women in Nigeria aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence at least once since age 15; 25 per cent of married women in the same age category have been abused by their spouses, and 45 per cent of the women who experience violence do not seek help or share their experiences.
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In the past decade, Nigeria’s governmental and civil society bodies have risen to the challenge of protecting the human rights of women and girls. Organisations like the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, Women’s Aid Collective and Domestic Violence Assistance Line Initiative, offer virtual support to survivors of domestic violence. However, many of these initiatives are centred in urban areas, and their services are only accessible to women who possess modern communication gadgets. Law enforcement officers in the country have also garnered a reputation for responding sluggishly or inappropriately to abuse cases.
Nigeria’s current partial lockdown includes restricted interstate travel, a nationwide curfew, and a ban on large-scale gatherings. These circumstances, combined with Nigeria’s underdeveloped social services sector, make survivors of domestic violence less likely to seek shelter. Even women with access to modern communication tools may find it difficult to share their experiences with trained social workers for fear of being caught by their abusers.
In times of global crises, the logistics of supporting survivors of domestic violence are further complicated. Social services that would have previously catered to domestic abuse survivors are often deprioritised for other emergency services, and social workers are often left without protective personal equipment (PPE) needed to ensure the safe delivery of care to survivors. Thus, women and girls experiencing domestic violence are forced to cohabitate with their abusers indefinitely without support. Civil society organisations responding to sexual and gender-based violence are working to increase awareness of their services and expanding their operations with support from donors and philanthropic organisations.
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At the Federal level, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Services, Sadiya Umar Farouq, was appointed to the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, which points to consideration of domestic and gender-based violence in the national pandemic response and planning. Further actions will be required to address the immediate surge as well as the ongoing crisis
Investment in community-based solutions should be prioritised in the short term. While free movement and communication are restricted, local mutual aid groups can provide the lifesaving, instant support that many domestic violence survivors need. The government and civil society organisations should partner to ensure the presence of adequately trained first responders and fully functional domestic violence shelters in communities.
Increase awareness and educate the public on gender-based violence. Governmental bodies and civil society organizations should carry on this vital
Pass human rights legislation and other policies to address the roots of gender inequality which can seed the ground for higher levels of gender-based violence. In recent months the spotlight has been placed on rapes and sexual assault allegations in the workplace, homes, and churches. Last week, Senators voted down a bill to recognize spousal sexual violence in the country’s Criminal Code Act. Legislators have a crucial role to play in ensuring that Nigeria’s laws reflect the dynamic and evolving nature of society and leave no one behind, especially women and girls.
