COVID-19 conversations: Gender and Disability

COVID 19 global health crisis has affected all parts of the society, affecting lives and livelihoods as has been previously known. It has especially had adverse impact on the economy and the society’s vulnerable groups, jeopardizing lives and escalating suffering. It has slowed down every sector. Talk of transport, manufacturing, agriculture and even service industries. Other than it being singularly a health crisis requiring a purely medical response, its elimination will call for a multi-faceted solution, the forging of a united front that will see no one becoming collateral as the world attempts to resume normalcy. This is the time to make sense of the ‘leave no one behind’ mantra.

There have been responses from left, right and centre in a bid to control the spread of this disease. Here in Kenya, the government is leading every effort that may result to it being contained. From the onset, the government gave out a raft of measures such as the banning of all public gatherings, social distancing, quarantine for those infected, curfews, hand washing, wearing of masks, remote working, and many other directives as it conducts testing to ascertain how far and wide the disease has spread. Some areas have emerged as COVID 19 hot spots. Such areas have since been put on ‘lockdown’ - travel bans to and fro such areas. One cannot for example move into and out of Nairobi Metropolitan area unless they are of the essential services category or they have a special permission from the authorities.

The enforcement of these policies has had their share of challenges, causing a bigger crisis upon a crisis. Police brutality was highlighted as a major cause of death and suffering during this period. Several people have been killed and others left with life threatening injuries just because they happened to have violated the dusk-to-dawn curfew as directed, or they were found not wearing a mask. The Human Rights Watch reported on April 22, 2020 that at least six people died from police violence in Nairobi during the first 10 days of Kenya’s dusk-to-dawn curfew, imposed on March 27, 2020 to contain the spread of Covid-19(1). These police excesses are in addition to other risks that ordinary Kenyans have continued to face even before this pandemic. It has only brought them to the fore.

Another thing that this period has exposed is the level of inequalities that still exists in the society. While the virus is indiscriminate, responses and approaches towards containing it are. The systems and structures that have been in operation ever since, even with improvements through concerted efforts to ensure inclusivity, have suddenly snapped, revealing a sense of intolerance to the plight of vulnerable groups such as the youth, women, persons with disabilities and children. The immediate responses aimed at combating this crisis have not taken into account the unique challenges that especially women and people with disability face. The pandemic has had disproportionate effects on women and people with disabilities. It has reinforced and aggravated what has been unjust before in our communities.

Systemic gender inequities have persisted with directives that are not sensitive to the priorities that cannot wait for example, for dust-to-dawn curfew to end. Initially as the Kenyan government gave directives about the curfew, there were no guidelines about maternal health services that fell within the curfew hours. The emergencies due to pregnancy are not predictable and therefore cannot be restricted to certain times of the day or night. The fear and anxiety by the mere fact of this pandemic and the added restrictions, worsens the already grim situation.  

The People Daily Newspaper in Kenya reported on Thursday, April 9, that as the Covid-19 cases escalate, maternal health in some counties was already experiencing a blow with fewer mothers attending antenatal clinics and hospital deliveries were at their lowest level due to fear of police brutality.

The COVID -19 pandemic has had schools closed and learning transitioned to online and home-schooling, a lot of work is now done at home as companies depopulate workstations to have only essential workers report to work. The effect the pandemic has had on the economy has resulted to a significant amount of job losses. All these have transformed the home environment to be unusually active. Much of this additional burden at home is likely to fall on women, putting more pressure on them as they have to ensure that everyone in the family is well taken care of.  Women carry most burden of care at home. Fulfilling these demands will be difficult for many parents, especially for those that are required to continue working.

Lock down restrictions, supply chain disruptions and re-allocation of resources to COVID-19 response have also led to decreased access to sexual and reproductive health services such as antenatal and postnatal care, and menstrual products, impacting the rights of girls and women to bodily autonomy.

It is also emerging that cases of gender based violence have increased during this period in Kenya. Causes of gender based violence stems from the fight for power and control, and due to inequalities. Human Rights activists in Kenya have reported a spike in GBV since measures to contain the spread of the pandemic were announced and enforced(2). Further, the restrictions imposed, are likely to make it harder for GBV survivors to report abuse and seek help, and for service providers to respond faster.

The Human Rights Watch recommends that due to this risk, the government should urgently protect women and girls against violence during this crisis. The public awareness campaigns should highlight this risk and give detailed information on how victims, including those infected with COVID-19, can access services. It should treat services for women, who experience violence as essential, ensure these services have the resources they need, and make alternative accommodation available when the current limited shelters are full(1).

To tackle more of these challenges, a gender focused preparation is needed. This can be achieved through a multi-sectoral response such as targeted and protected funding for gender-focused non-governmental organisations and programs, and gender and sex-disaggregated data collection for real-time gender analysis of the situation. Paying attention to women's needs and leadership will strengthen the Covid-19 response.

The challenges facing persons with disabilities are also likely to escalate during this pandemic if an all-inclusive approach and response is not carried out. Persons with disabilities are at increased risk in the COVID-19 pandemic due to the need for close contact with personal assistants/caregivers, as well as an increased risk of infection and complications due to underlying health conditions and socio-economic inequalities, including poor access to health care.

These risks are compounded by numerous barriers and drastic changes in living conditions, a lack of access or obstructed access to public health and protection messaging, risks of increased stigma on the basis of disability, inaccessibility of infrastructure for hygiene and sanitation, potentially discriminatory attitudes and procedures of the health workforce and systems, and potentially disrupted protection and social support mechanisms.  

Physical distancing and/or separation from care givers and support networks could result in disruption of medical, social and rehabilitation care. This could lead to adults and children with disabilities not receiving adequate assistance for health-related concerns, which may result in life-threatening situations. 

In every response, be it by government, non-government, community leaders and other well-wishers, arrangements should be made to ensure that people with disabilities, their care givers and older persons are prioritized within the response including at assessment stages. PWDs who may need more targeted support and information should be identified from the outset. They should be given information about infection mitigating tips, public restriction plans, and the services offered in a diversity of accessible formats, including: easy-read format; high contrast print and, where possible, braille; and use of available technologies such as subtitles in verbal messaging – ‘languages’ they can understand.

Leaving no one behind is not just a clarion call. It is an inspiration; it should be a daily aspiration of everyone, not just during a crisis such as the one we are dealing with right now, but in every situation, good or bad. All preparedness and COVID 19 response plans therefore, must be inclusive of and accessible to all persons with disabilities. Gender, age and diversity, including disability, should be taken into consideration through all stages of the response.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Kenya: Police Brutality During Curfew | Human Rights Watch [Internet]. [cited 2020 May 29]. Available from: https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/22/kenya-police-brutality-during-curfew
2. Kenya Activists Fear Spike in Violence Against Women During Coronavirus | Voice of America - English [Internet]. [cited 2020 May 29]. Available from: https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/kenya-activists-fear-spike-violence-against-women-during-coronavirus