The current crisis demonstrates to what extent our world is interconnected and to what point we depend on each other to fight the spread of COVID-19. All of humanity is facing an enormous challenge, but we can deal with it together.
Today, I am touched to see that the whole world is demonstrating outstanding solidarity. We see it everyday, from the exceptional dedication of medical staff on the front lines, to all of those who continue to work to bring essential services to the rest of the population confined to their homes. Everyone is doing their part to contribute to a common goal: the stop of this disease that knows no borders. This solidarity is demonstrated on all levels: between neighbors, within our municipalities, our regions, our country and internationally. On March 25th, the UN General Secretary, Antonio Guterres, stated that this crisis triggers an inescapable need for solidarity on a global scale as “the individual responses of countries will not be sufficient.”
This week, Canada announced an increase in its international aid to help stop COVID-19 abroad and I salute this decision. The commitments in Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy are of increasing importance in this time of crisis.
At CECI, we are particularly concerned about the multidimensional impact of this crisis on the poorest and most vulnerable populations, namely women and girls. We are committed to ensuring that no one is left behind in the global response to this crisis.
Many of us already know how much the closure of schools and daycares places a disproportionately large burden on women, making it more difficult for them to work from home or find alternative sources of income. In countries where the economies are unstable, women are already overrepresented in the informal sector and unpaid agricultural work. The restriction of mobility jeopardizes sources of income and affects women in particular.
By looking at other epidemics, such as Ebola in West Africa, it is already possible to make some observations relating to gender disparities. For example, women had a higher rate of infection as a greater number of them worked in the health sector or taking care of the sick and elderly. The reproductive health resources were greatly impacted by the sanitary crisis, contributing to a higher rate of maternal mortality.
Currently, the women’s associations that we support in Haiti, Nepal, Latin America and West Africa are already alerting us not only to an increase in domestic violence, but also to the challenged capacity of shelters to meet increased demands, while respecting health and safety measures.
Gender based violence is a problem at the heart of CECI’s work. Most of the time official numbers already underestimate the situation, and during a pandemic, with most eyes focused on other statistics, we are concerned that this situation, although disastrous, will go unnoticed in the silence of confinement.
At the moment, all of our teams are actively working to develop adapted plans for our ongoing projects. CECI, with its network of partners and teams already in place, is well positioned to effectively respond to this crisis, all the while continuing and adapting its operations.
The social cohesion of all of the communities with whom we work is currently undermined by this unprecedented crisis and by the confinement measures that are sometimes difficult to respect. In collaboration with our partners in the Global South, we concentrate our efforts not only on prevention and raising awareness on health risks, but also on continuing to support communities and the protection of their social fabric.
Our prevention and recovery actions will target all forms of discrimination that the situation may generate, in order to guarantee women and men have equal access to response initiatives and that the needs of women and vulnerable populations are taken into account. Namely, we will strengthen hygiene practices through awareness campaigns and the distribution of hygiene kits, improve the tracing of patients, strengthen awareness campaigns against gender based violence and set up livelihood recovery projects, particularly for women, post COVID-19.
In addition, in the coming weeks we will also be working with local women’s organizations to analyse and measure in more detail the impact of this crisis on the situation of women and girls, in order to better guide our future actions.
If you are able, I invite you to make a gesture of solidarity in support of our actions, by making a donation to our COVID-19 Emergency Fund.
Today, more than ever, regardless of the confinement measures and physical distancing which touches more than half of the world’s populations, we are together.
Claudia Black
CECI Executive Director
