Will women bear the brunt of COVID-19?

During these unprecedented times where the entire Indian citizenry is effectively in confinement, two consequences are emerging very starkly:

Firstly, the Indian state infrastructure is struggling in its ability to serve the poorest, most marginalized sections of society, even after commendable efforts in recent years to build the pipeline and distribution system for food security and employment in the form of the NREGA, PDS and the JAM trinity. Most of us who have been in the development sector were aware of the gaps, but their extent, especially during a humanitarian crisis has exposed the need for much more to be done, and quickly.

The second consequence however clearly unintended, though obvious in hindsight, has astonished me in its scale and universality – across countries, class and caste – the increase in violence against women (especially intimate partner violence) and children. The National Commission of Women has recorded a two-fold increase in gender-based violence in the lockdown period. Childline India received nearly 92,000 calls from children during a 11-day period in the lockdown. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that “violence against women remains a major threat to global public health and women’s health during emergencies. Stress, the disruption of social and protective networks, and decreased access to services can all exacerbate the risk of violence for women.” There is a fear that reported cases are only a tip of the iceberg as many women during the lockdown may not be coming forward to complain. Coupled with greater restrictions of movement, there is a real fear that all the progress achieved, however modest, in the past two decades in women’s voice, choice and agency will face an irreparable setback.

In a quick survey conducted by EdelGive’s partner organization CORO with over 14,200 households in Maharashtra, the lock down in India has had a clear, gendered effect on the lives of women. Cramped spaces with 10-12 members inhabiting 100sq ft homes or less, joblessness and loss of income, lack of food, alcoholism or in many cases the unavailability of alcohol, closure of schools, complete absence of any “me-time” have made women, especially daughters-in law, particularly vulnerable to violence.  Working women working for- and from-home have no place to turn to, with restrictions on movement and inability to access their maternal homes, adding to mental stress. To be fair, men are also experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety. 

However, patriarchal mindsets and archaic gender roles of men and women pose a great risk to women’s agency and lead to higher susceptibility of women to be victims of intimate partner violence, especially in the absence of access to helplines or safe shelters and the limitations of governments to consider measures to counter violence against women as “essential services”.

While some have jokingly reported that the world will see many December and January babies, this is black humour. The initial delays and confusion created by government with respect to suspension of clauses regarding reporting under the Pre-Completion and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994 (PC-PNDT Act), has created room for sex selective abortion[1] in the lock down period. In addition, there are far more female front-line health workers than men[2]. Women are more likely to take time off work in times of crisis. Similarly, there are far more women in work related to childcare, nutrition, pre-school and creches, putting an exponential burden on them[3]. Among female workers, it is estimated that 54.8% are employed in informal work. Besides in India many women are engaged in home-based work or are self-employed. So, it is fair to assume that women will be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 as they are more likely to lose their jobs or not be compensated for forced leave at this time, let alone receive benefits and social protection that formal workers naturally receive. Women’s health needs also become secondary as resources meant for sexual and reproductive health are diverted to emergency responses in an already-heavily-burdened health system.

There are other challenges that will be aggravated with the on-set of summer in India. The country’s annual water scarcity is slowly going to be upon us. In such a situation maintaining personal hygiene (a pre-requisite for staying safe through COVID-19) and menstrual hygiene will be challenging. As it is, access to sanitary pads and contraceptives has been difficult during the lockdown, and this lack of resources, makes conflict inevitable. This frustration coupled with heightened religious tensions does not augur well for an extended lockdown.

There is a need therefore to look at a gendered response beyond COVID. The emphasis should be on addressing violence against women through various strategies – ensuring victims have safe spaces to recuperate after facing abuse; building economic independence of women and girls as access to financial resources; and enabling access to rights and entitlements. These are important tools of empowerment. Women and girls need to be leaders within their communities who are able to be alert of incidences of violence and are able to take quick action. They need to directly engage with the Government machinery and demand a more effective response to violence and discrimination.

In addition to ensuring implementation relief measures, it is also important to know whether benefits are reaching the women. For example, while there are help-desks and helplines instituted for women to seek help in case of abuse, are we sure every victim can access them? A recent study[4] shows that 38% of women use mobile phones as against 71% men, most of which is owing to patriarchy-driven mindsets. In addition to exacerbating other important forms of inequality — in earnings, networking opportunities, and access to information, this can also prevent women from reaching out for aid during an emergency.

It has therefore, never been more important to strengthen grassroots NGOs that work closely with communities to drive women’s rights movements ahead. Some of our grantee partners have risen to the challenge of increased violence against women by focusing on mental health for affected communities.

1.      Helplines: Our partner organisation Shaheen work closely with women in conservative communities of old Hyderabad and came to know about increasing cases of violence as they began their COVID-19 relief initiatives. As an emergency concern, Shaheen is reaching out to these victims through telephonic conversations and counselling them with mental and emotional support. The team is also speaking with family members to ensure that women are not subjected to mistreatment any further. CORO had distributed pamphlets mentioning their helpline number for domestic violence victims in the community, and has been responding to women who are under great stress, many of them wives of zari workers, fruit sellers and other daily wage workers, among others who have lost their income due to the lock down. Sanjog is providing counselling support to the survivors of trafficking in West Bengal, as the lock down has triggered memories of confinement, abuse and a resurge of PTSD in these women. AALI is providing legal advice and counselling to women who are facing abuse through its helpline across UP and Jharkhand. Jan Sahas is also running a helpline for violence against women providing counselling and emergency support.

2.      Community Radio: Mann Deshi Foundation’s is using its own radio station with a reach of 50,000 people across 110 villages in Mann Taluka, as a medium of outreach and awareness on the existing global health crisis through interviews with experts and doctors. Mann Deshi staff are in regular touch with the women in the Foundation’s network and keeping them updated on the situation.

 3. Nyay Samitis and Sakhi Sanginis: To combat the challenge of availability of shelters for domestic abuse victims, ANANDI has formed ‘nyay samitis’ (which is a smaller unit within the larger collective - sangathan) to provide support to survivors. The nyay samiti members work with panchayats to make sure that the perpetrators are moved out of the house, and not the victim of abuse. KMVS is topping up mobile talk-time in the phones of its women leaders ‘sakhi sanginis’ who are the bridge between the organisation and any women in the community wanting support in the face of violence. These active mobile phones are crucial if the sakhi sanginis need to assist women who complain of abuse. They can connect with the woman to requisite services; like reaching out to 181 women helpline, KMVS helpline and to KMVS paralegals and counselors.

4. Awareness through media: Many NGOs are sharing stories in the mainstream media on the on the immediate and prolonged dangers caused by COVID-19 on the safety and status of women and girls. Breakthrough India and CORO have written about the increase in domestic abuse cases during lock down and have also shared a list of helpline numbers. Sanjog has also written about emerging mental health needs of survivors of trafficking who are relieving trauma during the lock down.

By no means, is this an easy time for governments or civil society; there are too many complex, inter-related health, economic and humanitarian challenges. However, I do believe that Including a women-centric response to the crisis by supporting civil society organizations with knowledge and expertise will lead to a better-gendered approach to the crisis.

References:

[1] The initial delays and confusion created by government with respect to suspension of clauses regarding reporting under PCPNDT Act 1996, has created room for sex selective abortion in the lockdown period. (Refer: The Quint)

[2] 70 percent of the world’s healthcare and social workers are women, which means they are not only the first responders for mitigating the outbreak, but also front in line for catching the disease. According to the 68th round of the National Sample Survey’s report on employment in India, estimates of the health workforce shows that qualified female health workers constitute almost half of the qualified health workforce. Among different categories of health workers, qualified nurses and midwives were dominated by women at 88.9 percent. Refer ORF

[3] It is estimated that ASHA make up almost one million female community health workers, and Anganwadi workers comprise 1.4 million women.

[4] In India only 38% of women use mobile phones, while it is 71% for men: Study – The National Herald