The shadow pandemic of domestic violence during COVID19 Kemi DaSilvaIbru
We all know about the pandemic
that has come to define 2020.
Understandably, COVID-19
has dominated the world’s agenda,
and mandatory lockdowns
were introduced in many countries
to help control the spread of the virus.
For many of us,
the lockdown was inconvenient.
We couldn’t go to our normal
places of business,
we couldn’t visit family or friends,
and we couldn’t socialize publicly.
But for some people, though,
the freedom to get out of the house
was not just a matter of convenience
but of physical safety
and even life or death.
Based on my work, I see the great majority
of those vulnerable people are women,
and this resonates with me,
especially today as I give my talk
from the safety of my home.
As a practicing obstetrician
and gynecologist,
I’m all too aware of the prevalence
of gender-based violence
in communities across Nigeria.
And this is why I founded
the Women at Risk
International Foundation, WARIF,
in 2016
in response to this.
Global estimates
published by the WHO indicate
that one in three women worldwide
have experienced an act of violence.
And this was before the lockdown.
In March, an increase in the number
of cases of violence against women
was becoming apparent across the world,
amounting to a shadow pandemic
that we are now faced with globally.
In France for example,
there was a 30 percent increase
in the number of cases
of domestic violence.
And in Argentina,
emergency calls
from domestic violence cases
increased by 25 percent.
In the first two weeks
of the lockdown in Lagos State,
our emergency phone lines rang nonstop,
and we recorded
a 64 percent increase in calls
from women trapped at home
with their abusers,
in fear for their lives.
By June, the authorities became aware
of the shadow pandemic,
and a state of emergency on rape
was declared by the federal
government of Nigeria.
As we fielded the distressing calls
from girls and women, young and old,
we were able to help,
as thankfully, we kept
the WARIF rape crisis center open
as a refuge of last resort.
In the more remote areas,
many women had to walk miles
to receive any medical care and attention
as there was no transportation
because of the lockdown.
They had no internet access
to reach social media platforms,
and they had limited phone services
to call a 24-hour confidential helpline
or even a neighbor.
So the situation
for these women was much worse.
Our solution in addressing this was this:
There are over 3,000
traditional birth attendants
working in rural areas
across Lagos State today.
These are community-based men and women
who have been informally trained
and provide basic health care
to both women and expectant mothers.
But none of them had received
any form of training
on how to help women
suffering from domestic violence.
We successfully trained
1,300 of these community gatekeepers
as first responders
in addressing the cases
of violence against women
in their communities.
This meant that during the lockdown,
they were galvanized to go house to house
in their communities
and with their training,
were able to offer
the necessary assistance
to women trapped at home,
unable to receive care.
Reports varied from verbal
and emotional abuse
to far worse beatings and sexual violence.
But those home visits
served as an opportunity
for these women to share their stories
and to receive the much needed
care and support
that the traditional
birth attendants offered.
This program had been rolled out
across an additional
seven local communities
and has reached nearly 35,000 people,
raising awareness of the shadow pandemic
in these communities.
In the months to come,
we plan on including
our other gatekeepers,
the law enforcement officials
and the religious leaders,
truly impacting on communities
and on the safety and the lives
of these women.
As we embrace the new normal
of working remotely from home
and with online schooling,
it is more than likely
that more women will be trapped
at home with their abusers
and this shadow pandemic will persist.
But I take hope and inspiration
from the courage and determination
of the many who work to protect
and support these women.
I have been awed by the unbelievable
strength and the tenacity
that these women have shown
during these precarious times
and their ability to find their power
in spite of all of this adversity.
So, with or without the pandemic,
the work to protect
girls and women continues,
because every girl and woman,
no matter what part
of the world she lives,
has the right to live in a society
free of any form of violence against her.
Thank you.