The Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr.
Natalia Kanem; has said that policymakers must not lose hope of
vulnerable women and girls to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
According to her, this year’s pandemic has also given rise to threats
with that extended beyond the risk of infections.
Kanem disclosed this in an UNFPA 2020 Guidance Document; released on
Sunday to journalists in Maiduguri, Borno state.
COVID-19, the coronavirus disease that has rapidly spread around the
world since it was discovered late last year, appears most deadly
among elderly populations and people with pre-existing medical
conditions.
She said that evidence from previous disease outbreaks, reveals that
women and girls face particular vulnerabilities.
The UNFPA released guidance document, also covers how gender is
playing a role in the unfolding global coronavirus pandemic that
claimed over 13, 000 lives.
“Accurate and complete sex-disaggregated data are still needed to
understand whether and how women and men experience infection,
complication and death risks differently,” said Kanem in the guidance
document.
She declared that outbreaks affect women and men differently.
According to her, pandemics make existing gender inequalities for
women and girls worse; and can impact how they receive treatment and
care.
Her words: “Yet even now, it is clear that women and girls face a
variety of risk factors that must urgently be addressed.
“Women may face heightened risk of exposure to COVID-19 due to their
disproportional representation among health-care and social service
personnel,” disclosing that over 70 per cent of global health and
social service workers are women.
These, according to her, include many midwives, nurses or community
health workers, who play their roles in the front lines of any disease
outbreak.
“Risks to women and girls also increase if health systems divert
resources from sexual and reproductive health care to respond to the
COVID-19 pandemic,” she warned, maintaining that; “if supply lines
begin to creak under the strain of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
While lamenting the sideline of women and girls, she said: “Sexual and
reproductive health services and commodities are often overlooked in
times of crisis, despite women’s continuous requirements for family
planning, menstrual health supplies and maternal health care.
She noted that; already, countries have seen health systems forced to
allocate staff and resources towards critical care services, depriving
other areas of health care.
“This is a worrying time for women who are pregnant and in need of
routine health services.
“Infection control measures must be taken to protect women in
antenatal, neonatal and maternal health units,” she Kanem in the UNFPA
guidance note.
She insisted that pregnant women also need access to reliable
information and quality healthcare delivery services.
According to her, there is no evidence that pregnant women are at
higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 or present with different
symptoms.
Continued: “It is important to ensure that all pregnant women with a
suspected, probable or confirmed COVID-19 infection continue to have
access to the full range of quality health care.
‘’Pregnant women with respiratory illnesses must be treated with the
utmost priority due to increased risk of adverse outcomes.”
Citing 2015-16 Zika outbreaks, she said women faced significant
barriers to healthcare; due to lack of autonomy over their own sexual
and reproductive health, inadequate access to health services and
limited financial resources.
On West African Ebola outbreaks between 2014 and 2016, she said:
“Women were more likely to be infected due to their predominant roles
as caretakers and health workers.”
“Today, the coronavirus pandemic could exact a significant toll on
women’s livelihoods, as school closures increase the burden of
domestic care that typically falls to women.
“The imposed travel restrictions, will also affect service industries
and informal labour dominated by female workers.”
She therefore; warned that epidemics and their attendant stresses can
also increase the risk of domestic abuse and other forms of
gender-based violence.
According to her, the economic effects of the Ebola outbreaks, led to
exacerbated sexual exploitation risks for women and children.
“Today, as families face heightened tensions, financial uncertainties
and other pressures, women and girls face intensified
vulnerabilities,” she further warned.
Kanem therefore; urged policymakers to include women’s perspectives in
pandemic planning and decision-making.
While the health systems, she added; are also be prepared to provide
essential support to survivors of gender-based violence.
“All these survivors need to access protection and health services
even in the midst of community quarantines,” said Aimee Santos, a
UNFPA gender expert working in the Philippines, where the organization
is working with Government health services on the pandemic response.
