COVID-19: Gender-based violence on the rise

As the COVID-19 lockdown keeps pressing people hard. In some communities, the situation is even worse. Some family heads have abandoned their homes while others have engaged in fights leaving their responsibilities an attended to. 

Increased vulnerabilities for women in Amuru district 

Amuru GBV shelter had an interview with 3 women from the community and Some stakeholders; from the cultural institution, community development officer of Lamogi sub-county and a police officer from Awer police outpost on the effect of COVID-19 on the women. 

From the different interviews, it was noted with great concerns that most men are alleged to have deserted their responsibility that has scaled up gender-based violence which is presently rocking the district amidst COVID-19 fight. Women doing small scale business within the different communities have also been greatly affected.

Business has come to a standstill and the women are using their incomes and saving to buy household items, thus after the Lockdown, many women will not be able to continue with their business and thus this means the efforts put by government and different partners to uplift women would have come to a standstill.

This may call for planning on how to support the women to cope up and get back on their feet in their different businesses.    

Silvia Anwyek, a 24 years old mother of three (2 boys and 1 girl) resident of Pagoro village Parish Lamogi sub-county in Amuru district was abandoned by her husband for another woman.

Silvia revealed that they had for long been fighting for shared responsibility in the family, and so her husband decided to relocate to another place.  

Silvia stressed that she and her children sometimes eat one meal in a day to keep going. Before the lockdown, she used to sell vegetables and tomatoes to raise food and other support needs for the family. Due to the lockdown, her small business started recording poor sales and returns because the customers were not moving to the market to buy items, 

Silvia said she is experiencing increased expenditure from a budget of sh7000 to sh20000 a day which she doesn't make considering that the market operations have been limited. Life for Silvia and her children has become very difficult.

She also stated that she could have reported the case to Action Aid Uganda Amuru GBV shelter were she had been referred but it wasn't possible since there is no transport to reach their office in Amuru.

She is trying her level best to survive while waiting for the government to call off the lockdown so that she can go and report her case to the police. She is hopeful that with this, her distant husband will be arrested and asked to provide for his children.  

She revealed that the clan leader counselled her, and wrote a letter to her husband asking him to send help to the children. She added, "The clan leader said if he does not respond to his call, He would refer to Action Aid for further support," 

Upon hearing her story as we were documenting her story the shelter plans to provide her with the immediate support of food to support her supplement with the little she gets and we are in touch with her through the cultural leader to follow up on her case to see that the man takes up his responsibility of providing for the children.

Concy Ayot, 22 years old single mother of four Children(3boys&1girl) and born of Lamogi sub-county but currently living in Amuru Town Council were her husband was doing business. She was chased by her husband recently with the claim that he has no capacity to continue staying with her due to coronavirus lockdown.

Concy Ayot, 22 years old single mother of four Children(3boys&1girl) and born of Lamogi sub-county

 
Ayot disclosed that she is grappling to feed her children by babysitting other people children and doing casual labour in order to obtain foodstuffs for them to survive during this time. She recalled that her most horrifying moment was when she had to sleep hungry with her children for one night because they had failed to get anything they could eat.  

Concy explains that she would have loved to report her case so that she and her children are helped but, ActionAid Office is very far. She added, "I have to move for over 10 kilometres to access the offices. Everything is very hard for me."

"I will not keep quiet about this case I will walk to the GBV shelter at Amuru trading centre to report my cases I know they will support me since a friend of mine said the office is open, "she said. 

According to Nancy Aromo from Apowegi village in Amuru sub-county, it is a hurdle to agree and settle without disagreeing with her husband.

Since the lockdown began, Aromo says her husband accuses her of misusing money. "The atmosphere at home is tense. I expected joy, love and peace but unfortunately, things turned out different," Aromo revealed.

Nancy used to sell vegetables in the local market but with the lockdown, there are very people who go to the market to buy food. "We have been entirely depending on my savings to buy home necessities," she said.

Denis Lemoi, a clan leader and a male champion in Lamogi sub-county has been supporting register GBV cases and offer community mediation and counselling to the survivors of GBV. 

Lemoi said he receives at least 3 calls on a daily basis from different families reporting arising anxieties they are going through.

"Due to the lockdown, there has been limited intervention. Several women have become victims of GBV and are struggling to look after their children. Men sit and wait to be feed by the women," Lemoi said.

Johnson Lalonyo, Community Development Officer Lamogi sub-county confirmed that the gender-related issues have become a major challenge rocking the sub-county during this COVID-19 period.

A Police officer working with Awer police post in Lamogi sub-county, Amuru district said gender-related cases have been overwhelming the police post.