COVID 19
COVID 19 IMPACT Assessment Southeast Turkey May 2020
In order to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 global health emergency on the vulnerable or marginalized populations, CARE embarked on an impact assessment in the implementing provinces in Southeast Turkey; namely, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and Kilis. The study demonstrates the varied impacts of COVID-19 on the individuals’ lives in terms of education, shelter, WASH, household division of labour, livelihoods and income, negative coping mechanisms, health, mobility and social life as well as protection. The objectives of this assessment are to:
- Understand the impacts of COVID-19 crisis on the needs, coping mechanisms and vulnerabilities among Syrian refugee and vulnerable communities in Southeast Turkey and inform refugee response in Southeast Turkey accordingly.
- Analyse changing gender roles and relations in Southeast Turkey at household level in relation to gender and power differentials
- Provide recommendations on ways in which actors can respond to women, men, girls and boys in Southeast Turkey and provide inclusive and dignified assistance in line with the findings mentioned in above points (not reflected in the infographic though)
that Read More...
- Understand the impacts of COVID-19 crisis on the needs, coping mechanisms and vulnerabilities among Syrian refugee and vulnerable communities in Southeast Turkey and inform refugee response in Southeast Turkey accordingly.
- Analyse changing gender roles and relations in Southeast Turkey at household level in relation to gender and power differentials
- Provide recommendations on ways in which actors can respond to women, men, girls and boys in Southeast Turkey and provide inclusive and dignified assistance in line with the findings mentioned in above points (not reflected in the infographic though)
that Read More...
CARE Rapid Gender Analysis COVID-19 Timor-Leste
An outbreak of COVID-19 would be devastating for Timor-Leste. As one of the world’s least developed countries and the poorest country in southeast Asia, it is feared that the pandemic would easily overwhelm the country’s weak healthcare system. In international and regional rankings Timor-Leste is assessed as having weak health systems, low capacity to respond to infectious disease outbreak, high rates of underlying health issues that increase risk of COVID-19 mortality and overall high COVID-19 risk.4 Timor-Leste is ranked second of 25 countries in the Asia Pacific in terms of risk for COVID-19.5 The 2020 INFORM Global Risk Index identifies that, Timor-Leste is most at risk for; access to healthcare, existing health conditions and food insecurity.6 Current gaps in the capacity to effectively respond to the virus include under-resourced healthcare facilities, limited communication channels to communities, lack of adequate water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), difficult geographical terrains, and widespread poverty. Systemic gender inequality and the exclusion of marginalised groups from leadership positions and decision making, service provision, and access to and control of resources, would exacerbate the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable groups.
A COVID-19 outbreak would disproportionately affect women and girls, including their education, food security and nutrition, health, livelihoods, and protection. Timor-Leste is ranked at 111 out of the 187 countries in the UN Gender Inequality Index (GII) and has one of the highest rates of GBV.7 In Timor-Leste, women are often the primary caregivers in the family, placing them at heightened risk of infection. Women’s unpaid workloads may increase with the need to care for sick family members and children at home due to school closures. Maternal, sexual and reproductive health services may be less available as resources are diverted to respond to the pandemic, putting women at greater risk of maternal mortality and disability. As with all crises, there is an increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV) in a country where pre-existing rates of GBV are already extremely high. Read More...
A COVID-19 outbreak would disproportionately affect women and girls, including their education, food security and nutrition, health, livelihoods, and protection. Timor-Leste is ranked at 111 out of the 187 countries in the UN Gender Inequality Index (GII) and has one of the highest rates of GBV.7 In Timor-Leste, women are often the primary caregivers in the family, placing them at heightened risk of infection. Women’s unpaid workloads may increase with the need to care for sick family members and children at home due to school closures. Maternal, sexual and reproductive health services may be less available as resources are diverted to respond to the pandemic, putting women at greater risk of maternal mortality and disability. As with all crises, there is an increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV) in a country where pre-existing rates of GBV are already extremely high. Read More...
COVID-19 Bangladesh Rapid Gender Analysis
Whilst lifesaving, the COVID-19 lockdown is disproportionately impacting women as existing gender inequalities are exacerbating gender-based disparities between women, men, girls and boys in terms of access to information, resources to cope with the pandemic,
and its socio-economic impact. It is therefore essential to undertake a gendered impact analysis of COVID-19.
The Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group in Bangladesh has undertaken this Rapid Gender Analysis to inform national preparedness and response. Given the social distancing measures, RGA desk review contrasts pre-COVID-19 gender information and demographic data against new gender information from a multitude of surveys and qualitative sources. It examines the immediate impact of COVID-19 on pre-existing structural social and economic vulnerabilities of women, girls and diverse
gender groups, and the challenges faced by these groups in accessing information and health, education, and WASH, protection and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) services as well as support for livelihoods. The gendered impact of COVID-19 is evident in following six broad areas:
• Increased risks and evidence of GBV in the context of the pandemic and its responses;
• Unemployment, economic and livelihood impacts for the poor women and girls;
• Unequal access to health, education and WASH services;
• Unequal distribution of care and domestic work;
• Women and girls’ voices are not being included to inform a gender-targeted response; this is particularly the case for those most left behind;
• Policy response mechanisms do not incorporate gender analytical data or gender-responsive plans. Read More...
and its socio-economic impact. It is therefore essential to undertake a gendered impact analysis of COVID-19.
The Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group in Bangladesh has undertaken this Rapid Gender Analysis to inform national preparedness and response. Given the social distancing measures, RGA desk review contrasts pre-COVID-19 gender information and demographic data against new gender information from a multitude of surveys and qualitative sources. It examines the immediate impact of COVID-19 on pre-existing structural social and economic vulnerabilities of women, girls and diverse
gender groups, and the challenges faced by these groups in accessing information and health, education, and WASH, protection and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) services as well as support for livelihoods. The gendered impact of COVID-19 is evident in following six broad areas:
• Increased risks and evidence of GBV in the context of the pandemic and its responses;
• Unemployment, economic and livelihood impacts for the poor women and girls;
• Unequal access to health, education and WASH services;
• Unequal distribution of care and domestic work;
• Women and girls’ voices are not being included to inform a gender-targeted response; this is particularly the case for those most left behind;
• Policy response mechanisms do not incorporate gender analytical data or gender-responsive plans. Read More...
Bangladesh COVID-19 Rapid Gender Analysis–Cox’s Bazar
As of 4 May 2020, 10,143 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Bangladesh. To date, only 21 cases have been identified in Cox’s Bazar district, which is home to over 850,000 Rohingya refugees and extremely vulnerable host communities. Although no positive COVID-19 cases have been reported in the camps, this is likely to change soon. The conditions in the camps, including overcrowding, limited sanitation facilities and overburdened health system, have made the COVID-19 situation uniquely complex.
A COVID-19 outbreak in the refugee camps and neighboring communities will disproportionately affect women and girls and other vulnerable populations. Gender norms in both refugee and host communities limit women’s and girls’ ability to protect themselves from the virus and have a significant impact on prevention and response efforts. Refugees are reporting “rapidly deteriorating security dynamics within the camps between Rohingya and host communities” stemming from fears around COVID-19.
Women are already being blamed for COVID-19, resulting in a rollback of women’s rights, including mobility, access to services and information. Men, women, and community leaders in are blaming women’s “dishonorable” behavior as the cause of COVID, causing a backlash against women’s rights. Women are experiencing more behavior policing, mobility restrictions, and Gender Based Violence. Read More...
A COVID-19 outbreak in the refugee camps and neighboring communities will disproportionately affect women and girls and other vulnerable populations. Gender norms in both refugee and host communities limit women’s and girls’ ability to protect themselves from the virus and have a significant impact on prevention and response efforts. Refugees are reporting “rapidly deteriorating security dynamics within the camps between Rohingya and host communities” stemming from fears around COVID-19.
Women are already being blamed for COVID-19, resulting in a rollback of women’s rights, including mobility, access to services and information. Men, women, and community leaders in are blaming women’s “dishonorable” behavior as the cause of COVID, causing a backlash against women’s rights. Women are experiencing more behavior policing, mobility restrictions, and Gender Based Violence. Read More...
CARE Rapid Gender Analysis for COVID 19 East, Central and Southern Africa
The impacts – direct and indirect – of public health emergencies fall disproportionally on the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in society. Interconnected social, economic, and political factors pose complex challenges for the ECSA region’s ability to respond to COVID-19. The region already faces significant health challenges that would exacerbate the severity of COVID-19, such as high levels of malnutrition, malaria, anemia, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. Access to healthcare in the region is the lowest in the world, thus there is limited capacity to absorb the pandemic1. Gender-based inequality is extensive in the region. Women are at a higher risk for exposure to infection due to the fact that they are often the primary caregivers in the family and constitute 70% of frontline healthcare responders.2 Most women already face limited access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services, and the region struggles with high levels of maternal mortality. For example, mother mortality rates recorded in South Sudan were 1150 per 100 000 live births3. COVID-19 will only increase women’s safety risks and care burdens as health services become stretched and resources shift to COVID-19 responses.
Women and girls are at increased risk of violence during the COVID-19 period. Current rates of violence against women and girls combined with the prevalence of harmful traditional practices leads to increased vulnerability. Income loss and limited mobility, compounded with existing gender role expectations, may contribute to increases in intimate partner violence and other forms of gender-based violence. Read More...
Women and girls are at increased risk of violence during the COVID-19 period. Current rates of violence against women and girls combined with the prevalence of harmful traditional practices leads to increased vulnerability. Income loss and limited mobility, compounded with existing gender role expectations, may contribute to increases in intimate partner violence and other forms of gender-based violence. Read More...
Rapid Analysis: How are female garment factory workers during COVID-19
Based on a rapid needs assessment with female garment workers in Bangladesh on the potential impacts of COVID 19, some key areas of concern are:
56% are concerned about mobility restrictions during lockdown which limits them to buy daily needs
39% faced food shortage/crisis
“35% feel uncertain about salary
9% reported sickness Read More...
56% are concerned about mobility restrictions during lockdown which limits them to buy daily needs
39% faced food shortage/crisis
“35% feel uncertain about salary
9% reported sickness Read More...
Rapid WASH Assessment: Key Findings IDP sites in North West Syria
Between March 17th and 21st, CARE conducted a Rapid WASH assessment across 78 IDP sites in Idlib and Aleppo Governorate, together with partners IYD, Shafak and Syria Relief.
The displacement of close to one million people since December 2019 has resulted in a very high number of IDP-sites being setup by families on the move. These sites are not planned and many of them do not have the most basic services or infrastructure available. Other sites have grown significantly as new arrivals have settled next to existing camp-like facilities. Increasingly, reports from the areas have highlighted massive gaps in WASH services across these sites and particularly the lack of safe WASH facilities has been reported as a protection concern for girls and women. Simultaneously, the global COVID-19 outbreak has increased the urgency for gaps in WASH services to be addressed. The lack of access to clean water, handwashing facilities and soap undermines any initiative to prevent large scale outbreaks in North West Syria.
CARE, with its partners, therefore conducted a Rapid WASH Assessment across IDP-sites focusing mainly on two basic aspects: availability/usage/status of latrines and availability/usage of clean water, handwashing facilities and soap.
The assessment highlights that:
Adequate access to sanitation facilities is available in only 10% of the assessed locations. 45% of sites do not have any latrines. For the 55% of sites with latrines, average is 240 individuals per latrine.
The assessed IDP sites are critically lacking access to clean water, handwashing facilities and soap. Only 37% of the sites have sufficient and regular access to water supplies. As many as 83% of the sites have no access to handwashing facilities. A catastrophic 91% does not have access to soap.
Very limited, if any, WASH support has reached the assessed locations. Only 44% of the sites report having received any WASH NFI’s in the past two months. Read More...
The displacement of close to one million people since December 2019 has resulted in a very high number of IDP-sites being setup by families on the move. These sites are not planned and many of them do not have the most basic services or infrastructure available. Other sites have grown significantly as new arrivals have settled next to existing camp-like facilities. Increasingly, reports from the areas have highlighted massive gaps in WASH services across these sites and particularly the lack of safe WASH facilities has been reported as a protection concern for girls and women. Simultaneously, the global COVID-19 outbreak has increased the urgency for gaps in WASH services to be addressed. The lack of access to clean water, handwashing facilities and soap undermines any initiative to prevent large scale outbreaks in North West Syria.
CARE, with its partners, therefore conducted a Rapid WASH Assessment across IDP-sites focusing mainly on two basic aspects: availability/usage/status of latrines and availability/usage of clean water, handwashing facilities and soap.
The assessment highlights that:
Adequate access to sanitation facilities is available in only 10% of the assessed locations. 45% of sites do not have any latrines. For the 55% of sites with latrines, average is 240 individuals per latrine.
The assessed IDP sites are critically lacking access to clean water, handwashing facilities and soap. Only 37% of the sites have sufficient and regular access to water supplies. As many as 83% of the sites have no access to handwashing facilities. A catastrophic 91% does not have access to soap.
Very limited, if any, WASH support has reached the assessed locations. Only 44% of the sites report having received any WASH NFI’s in the past two months. Read More...
Tropical Cyclone Harold Rapid Gender Analysis
Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold crossed land on the northern island of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, in the afternoon of the 5th April 2020. With winds up to 235km per hour, TC Harold was graded at Category 5, the largest cyclone to hit Vanuatu since TC Pam 5 years ago on 13 March 2015.1 TC Harold travelled straight through the Sanma, Malampa, Penama and Torba provinces and also affecting the Shepherds group in Shefa province and a total population of 159,474 (78,142 female, 81,332 male ).
Any cyclone in Vanuatu creates difficulties for the population particularly in relation to food security for a country where 75% of the population live in rural areas and are reliant on subsistence agriculture. Vanuatu is currently also responding to the very real threat of the global pandemic COVID-19 and so disaster response mechanisms have to refocus to respond to the effects of a category 5 cyclone affecting around 58% of the nation’s population. TC Harold could disproportionately affect women and girls in the Northern provinces impacting their shelter, food security, nutrition, health and protection. In Vanuatu, women have the prime responsibility to ensure that the family has food, they are also the primary care givers for children, the elderly and the disabled who if displaced are at risk of health and protection issues. Maternal and sexual reproductive health (SRH) needs continue in an emergency, but can be overlooked or deprioritised. Women are also responsible for caring for children especially in response to the COVID-19 school closures in Sanma province so if schools are damaged by the cyclone then this will add an extra burden to women’s already considerable workloads. Read More...
Any cyclone in Vanuatu creates difficulties for the population particularly in relation to food security for a country where 75% of the population live in rural areas and are reliant on subsistence agriculture. Vanuatu is currently also responding to the very real threat of the global pandemic COVID-19 and so disaster response mechanisms have to refocus to respond to the effects of a category 5 cyclone affecting around 58% of the nation’s population. TC Harold could disproportionately affect women and girls in the Northern provinces impacting their shelter, food security, nutrition, health and protection. In Vanuatu, women have the prime responsibility to ensure that the family has food, they are also the primary care givers for children, the elderly and the disabled who if displaced are at risk of health and protection issues. Maternal and sexual reproductive health (SRH) needs continue in an emergency, but can be overlooked or deprioritised. Women are also responsible for caring for children especially in response to the COVID-19 school closures in Sanma province so if schools are damaged by the cyclone then this will add an extra burden to women’s already considerable workloads. Read More...
COVID 19 Rapid Gender Analysis Middle East and North Africa Region
The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been wreaking havoc on the international community in recent weeks and months, leaving almost no corner untouched. As of 8th April 2020, 1,464,852 cases and 85,397 deaths have been recorded in 212 countries1, including all countries in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region with the exception of Yemen. MENA is at a critical stage in containing the pandemic. Some countries have been successful in curtailing the spread by utilizing stringent lockdown measures, while other more fragile and conflict-affected countries, that are less equipped for additional crises, are only beginning to face the inevitable spread of the virus, with incredibly diminished health infrastructures. Widespread conflict, displacement, and migration in the region significantly complicates a controlled response to COVID-19, and extreme water scarcity makes
preventative measures even more challenging.
Women and girls in MENA faced numerous barriers to education, mobility, financial and asset control, and public leadership prior to the pandemic, and any positive gains made recently are at risk. They are impacted by losses in the informal labor market, elevated levels of violence and harassment, and increased burdens of caregiving for out-of-school children, sick and elderly family members.
Levels of psychosocial distress, already high in a volatile region are only escalating, with reductions in men’s roles as providers
being felt in a context of strict gender roles and stigmatization. The potential shift in men’s and boys’ role to provide increased
caregiving should be explored in contextually-appropriate manners. Read More...
preventative measures even more challenging.
Women and girls in MENA faced numerous barriers to education, mobility, financial and asset control, and public leadership prior to the pandemic, and any positive gains made recently are at risk. They are impacted by losses in the informal labor market, elevated levels of violence and harassment, and increased burdens of caregiving for out-of-school children, sick and elderly family members.
Levels of psychosocial distress, already high in a volatile region are only escalating, with reductions in men’s roles as providers
being felt in a context of strict gender roles and stigmatization. The potential shift in men’s and boys’ role to provide increased
caregiving should be explored in contextually-appropriate manners. Read More...
Pacific COVID 19 RGA March 26 2020
Novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is having devastating impacts globally. As of 26th March, 414,179 confirmed cases and 18,440 deaths have been recorded across 178 countries. To date, the Pacific has confirmed cases in Guam, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Fiji, PNG, and suspected cases in Samoa. In most Pacific countries, access to quality health services including intensive care is limited. Food security and livelihoods are particularly vulnerable to shocks due to semi subsistence lifestyles and a high reliance on the informal sector for income.
A COVID-19 outbreak in the Pacific could disproportionately affect women and girls in a number of ways including adverse impacts to their education, food security and nutrition, health, livelihoods, and protection. Women are the primary care givers in the family and are key health care front line responders placing them at increased risk and exposure to infection. Maternal and sexual reproductive health needs continue in an emergency but risk being de-prioritized. COVID-19 risks increasing women’s workloads, caring for children as schools close and the sick. Additionally, there is a risk of increased family violence in a region where pre-existing rates of violence against women are already very high.
Men's gender roles and norms need to be taken into account in order to ensure that men are properly targeted to help reduce their vulnerability to illness and to leverage their roles as leaders and decision makers in the home and in the community to help prevent the spread of the disease. Read More...
A COVID-19 outbreak in the Pacific could disproportionately affect women and girls in a number of ways including adverse impacts to their education, food security and nutrition, health, livelihoods, and protection. Women are the primary care givers in the family and are key health care front line responders placing them at increased risk and exposure to infection. Maternal and sexual reproductive health needs continue in an emergency but risk being de-prioritized. COVID-19 risks increasing women’s workloads, caring for children as schools close and the sick. Additionally, there is a risk of increased family violence in a region where pre-existing rates of violence against women are already very high.
Men's gender roles and norms need to be taken into account in order to ensure that men are properly targeted to help reduce their vulnerability to illness and to leverage their roles as leaders and decision makers in the home and in the community to help prevent the spread of the disease. Read More...