Gender-based violence during COVID-19 lockdown: case study of a community in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) has been identified to be one of the ripple effects of the global pandemic. In countries like Nigeria, the situation is hypothesized to be worse because of widespread poverty and gender inequalities. 
 Objective: To examine the exposure of females to GBV during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 lockdown.
 Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a low-income community in Lagos. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 130 respondents selected via systematic random sampling.
 Results: The mean age of the respondents was 26.89 ± 8.67 years. Majority worked informal jobs, while only 50% had attained beyond primary education. Within the period, the respondents had been subjected to sexual (54.6%), physical (52.3%), verbal assault (41.5%), and online sexual harassment (45.4%); of which only 30% reported to the police. Furthermore, respondents subjected to sexual (p=0.004) and physical assault (p=0.032) during the period earned significantly less money than other respondents.
 Conclusion: The fact that over 1 out of every 2 females was subjected to at least one form of GBV within the short timeframe shows how unsafe girls and women in low-income communities are. This calls for proactive community-level interventions to curb the GBV menace.
 Keywords: Gender-based violence; COVID-19; women; girls; assault.

Health Providers’ Response to Female Adolescent Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Demand Side Barriers in the Utilization of Support Services in Urban Low-Income Communities of Nigeria

“…Healthcare providers are critical stakeholders in improving the health outcomes of SGBV survivors [26]. Studies on SGBV from Nigeria have largely focused on issues of justice and the involvement of legal authorities, such as the police [27][28][29]. Other studies available are mostly from high-income countries [20,21,30].…”

Health Providers’ Response to Female Adolescents’ Survivors of Sexual Violence, and Demand Side Barriers in the Utilization of Support Services in Urban Slums of Nigeria

“…These networks of healthcare entities can responds to GBV experienced by young women and are important to improve the health outcomes of IPV survivors [23]. Studies on GBV from Nigeria have largely focused on issues of justice and the involvement of legal authorities, such as the police [24][25][26]. These institutions have added little in combating violence because matters around IPV are usually regarded as a family affair which can only be resolved within family and not by involving legal authorities.…”