Beyond the COVID-19 Vaccine: The “Epidemic” of Violence in Ghana and Strategies to Keep Women and Children Safe from Gender-Based Violence

Impact of COVID-19 Related Violence Against Women in Ghana

Before COVID-19, a greater proportion of women in Ghana had already experienced violence of all forms, and some were reluctant to report them.¹⁷ Common forms of violence experienced by women in Ghana include economic, social, psychological, physical, and sexual violence.¹⁷ Thus, losing jobs and staying at home amidst the pandemic adds to this existing violence and marital problems.^18,19 For some communities in Northern Ghana, women would prefer to be silent rather than report abuse or violence to the police.²⁰ A similar situation has been reported by Sifat in 2020, suggesting that many Ghanaian women and their children have been exposed to COVID-19 induced violence without public notice.²¹ Public attention is only drawn to these issues through social media, as the majority of the victims rely on social platforms (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) to express their miseries.²²

Evidence of past health crises shows that violence against women and children is more probable to be a lasting trait of COVID-19.¹¹ The very idea of this pandemic equally induces pressure on health care systems, particularly in developing countries, concerning post-partum mother-infant actions.²³ COVID-19 induced economic burden on families increases children's risk of child labor, exploitation, and gender-based violence.²⁴ Even to the extent that the prevalence of the adverse effect of the pandemic is still emerging²⁵ in light of much false information spreading across online media platforms concerning curing COVID-19.

Ghana observed lockdown and staying home under heightened stress levels, fear, and uncertainty. These are associated with stressful environments that precipitate violence.²³ In Ghana, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economic activities, particularly for the self-employed, who have been compelled to temporarily halt operations in some instances, thereby increasing the chances of economic violence.²⁶ Disruption in sources of income has brought about financial and psychological burdens on breadwinners of households. Most of these breadwinners are men, and such happenings translate into amplified tension, resulting in a higher likelihood of violence perpetration against wives and children.²⁷

Primary schools were shut down in Ghana until 2021. Removing children from protective environments like schools is reported to increase their exposure to violence.^23,28 Children in the upper primary, junior high school, and senior high school students now interact online due to virtual platforms for learning and socializing. These children are vulnerable to online grooming, cyberbullying, and sexual exploitation and are at the mercy of predators who intend to take advantage of the pandemic. Absence or reduced face-to-face interaction with teachers, friends, and sometimes parents can enhance the chances of some risks, including increased propensity to access and transmit sexualized videos and pictures.²⁸ A study showed that about 30.4% of households reported that their children experienced emotional changes, whereas children between 6-and 17 years felt sad more often.²⁹ This could be attributed to online grooming, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, and or social distancing measures that deprive children of their respite.

Strategies to Mitigate Violence Against Women and Children Amidst COVID-19

Several strategies/interventions can be instituted in Ghana to protect women and children from violence of all forms during the COVID-19 era and beyond. Prevention and mitigation initiatives must be integrated across sectors.^30,31 Firstly, there is the need to enhance or build women's capacity to identify violence, enhance their exposure to available avenues of assistance, and resist the impunity of culprits. The government of Ghana, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and all human rights-based organizations, both public and private, need to raise awareness about violence against women and children among the security agencies (e.g., the police) and the public. Media platforms with wide coverage, such as radio, can reach masses of Ghanaians.³² This should be augmented with print and other electronic avenues to ensure wide coverage. Generally, the media can diffuse gender stereotypes and ensure acceptable masculinity by using fit-for-purpose messages for men. This could subsequently help men develop healthy coping strategies during the pandemics, possible lockdowns, and other stressful situations.¹¹

Civil society organizations have a critical role by serving as ambassadors in sensitizing the public, especially women, on available avenues to seek timely assistance on violence. There is a need to strengthen and increase the availability of essential Gender-based violence (GBV) services. There are several agencies in Ghana mandated to protect the interest of women and children, such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), and Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU). However, these organizations cannot function effectively due to limited logistics, financial constraints, and political interference.^33,34 COVID-19 has indicated the urgent need for the government of Ghana to support these organizations to function optimally and adequately. The Ministry of Health may prioritize adolescent reproductive health needs (adolescent centers [secluded services for adolescents' reproductive health within health facilities] must be operational and equipped). Also, general practitioners could support their clients to stop using violence via their appointments.³⁵ There is a need for a synergy between the Social Welfare and Gender Department, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and Information Service Department, and Civil Society Organizations to provide education on COVID-19 at the community level.

Parents, teachers, and caregivers ought to make conscious efforts to respond to children's emotional, physical, and educational needs. Every child needs love and a high sense of protection.³⁶ The government would have to identify organizations that focus on sexual and gender-based violence and reinforce them to be proactive, particularly in the pandemic. As hospitals and clinics deal with infected patients, the health sector could collaborate with gender-based violence organizations to deliver fit-for-purpose services and strengthen referral pathways following the virus' mitigation measures. Through these, both communities and households can be targeted whilst adhering to the COVID-19 protocols.

Government and other relevant stakeholders could support efforts to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 response measures on violence against women and children should be a critical component of pandemic response and recovery.^37,38 Several countries have implemented paid sick leave policies for caregivers, childcare support, and child feeding programs.³⁹ Other countries have designated violence services as essential, relied on child helplines to receive violence reports, or integrated child protection into COVID-19 response helplines. Efforts to respond to violence against women, which may benefit children, include altering stay-at-home orders for women experiencing violence, making phone helplines and smartphone apps available inconspicuously, and allowing women to access shelters with their children enabling reporting of violence via pharmacies or supermarkets.⁴⁰ These strategic efforts are worth adapting to reduce violence against women and children in Ghana.

Limitations

Since this commentary focused on violence against women and children posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we were limited to the available scientific and grey literature on the said topic concerning the Ghanaian context. Also, because of time constraints and the issues of social distancing, we could have validated the concerns raised in the literature with interviews with victims to present the extent of violence faced by these women and children.

Compliance with Ethical Standards