COVID-19 and Gender-Based Violence: Investigating the "Shadow Pandemic" of Sexual Violence During Crisis Lockdown in Nigeria.
Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol
; : 306624X221102781, 2022 Jun 07.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1879169
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic created a myriad of problems including an increase in the cases of gender-based violence, prompting the United Nations Women to refer to the trend as a "shadow pandemic." In spite of this trend, research exploring the impact of COVID-19 in Africa have given little consideration to issues bordering on gender. To address this, a qualitative study involving 19 women and girls who experienced sexual violence during the lockdown, and 6 officials of women and child protection services as key informants, was conducted. Findings indicated a variety of sexual violence directed toward participants including marital rape, incest, acquaintance rape, date rape, and stranger rape. The conditions of the COVID-19 lockdown not only created opportunities for motivated offenders, but also increased the vulnerabilities of women to sexual victimization. These findings advance the need to acknowledge the increase in sexual violence, reimagine government's policies, create awareness, and recognize women and child support networks as essential services during a lockdown.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Qualitative research
Language:
English
Journal:
Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
0306624X221102781
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