‘ Second wave shows rise in refugee women, girls’

THE UN Refugee Agency ( UNHCR) yesterday warned that a second wave of the Covid- 19 pandemic could drive further violence and sexual abuse against refugee women and girls.

“We are receiving alarming reports of sharp increases in the risks of gender- based violence, including intimate partner violence, trafficking, sexual exploitation, and child marriages,” UN high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi said.

There has been an increase in gender- based violence in at least 27 countries, said the UNHCR- led Global Protection Cluster, a network of UN agencies and NGOS providing protection to people affected by humanitarian crises.

The sale or exchange of sex as an economic coping mechanism was also reported in at least 20 countries, according to UNHCR.

In Cameroon’s conflict- ridden North- West and South- West regions, a staggering 26% of gender- based violence incidents logged since the onset of the pandemic relate to children.

In the Central African Republic, where a quarter of the population is displaced, one gender- based violence incident is recorded every hour, an estimate based on figures from the humanitarian alert system, which covers 42% of the country.

The UNHCR said it was also alarmed by increased risks of child and forced marriages being resorted to as a coping strategy by displaced families buckling under socio- economic pressures.

Many countries experiencing conflict or displacement already have some of the world’s highest rates of these incidents, the organisation said.

“With Covid’s socio- economic impact driving millions of refugees and displaced people further into poverty and destitution, we are extremely worried about the increase in violence against women and girls,” said Grandi.

“Jobs have been lost, tensions are rising, intimate partner violence is escalating, livelihood opportunities are scarce and movement restrictions are making it difficult for survivors to report abuse and seek help.”

Echoing this year’s UN theme for the 16 Days of Activism in promoting action to fund, respond, prevent and collect data to end gender- based violence, UNHCR has appealed for donor support to preserve and boost essential prevention and response services.