We need a national conversation in Ethiopia as Covid 19 hits women hard

We are witnessing a "horrifying global surge” in domestic and intimate partner violence amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Prolonged quarantine and economic stressors are contributing to significant increases of violence against women and girls (VAWG). An additional seven million unintended pregnancies are expected to occur as 47 million women do not have access to contraceptives because of the crisis, combined with an additional 31 million cases of gender-based violence and 13 million child marriages. Tragically stunning numbers on the pandemic’s direct and in-direct impact on women and girls.

Ethiopia is not an exception with the outbreak of the pandemic forming far more than a health crisis. A series of measures taken to stem the spread of the virus in the country, particularly the state of emergency, has resulted in deep socio-economic alterations including economic slumps, postponement of national election and rise of VAWG, FGM and child marriages.

Underreported abuses

Accurate figures on the magnitude of VAWG are difficult to come across in Ethiopia. Yet, the available anecdotal and fragmented pieces of information from media reports point to an alarming picture of the increase in vulnerability of young girls and women in the country. On May 7 the State Minister of Women, Children and Youth publicized a press release that Ethiopian girls and women are being exposed to different forms of rights violation in the context of the pandemic. On May 10, the Prime Minister made a statement on his official Facebook page that any form of violence against women and girls during the pandemic would not be tolerated in Ethiopia. The Amhara regional state bureau of women and children’s affairs stated the resurgence of a harmful traditional practice amidst the pandemic with 585 reported cases of early marriage and over 1.000 intercepted marriages in the region. The report identified four zones in the region as hot spots: North Wollo, South Wollo, East Gojjam and South Gonder zones. Tragic developments showing how the latest incidents of VAWG is reversing the limited progress made on realizing gender equality and women’s rights in Ethiopia.

On June 2, the head of the Addis Ababa Women and Children’s Affairs office appeared on a panel discussion and stated that within a period of 2 months over 101 VAWG cases have been reported including several cases of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by close family members. Following her visit to a shelter, the country’s president, Sahlewerik Zewde, mentioned the “unusual” feature in latest incidents of VAWG whereby close relatives and family members are among the perpetrators, referring to her encounter with survivors of heinous acts.

The Ethiopian news agency drawing on a report by the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth stated that 280 GBV cases were reported between March 10 and May 29. During a joint meeting held by the Federal Attorney General, the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth, the federal first instance and federal supreme courts, the Addis Ababa Police and the Bureau of Women's Affairs held on June 9,2020, it was stated that 94 GBV cases are under investigation by the police and 23 charges have been established and verdicts have been delivered in 4 cases.

Though the aforementioned figures on the recent VAWG cases are anecdotal they are suggestive of a general trend. Nevertheless, the numbers are not representative of the magnitude of the seriousness of VAWG incidents for a number of reasons.

First, the figures are not based on a systematic recording of reported cases. Second, figures reported by media are mostly based on cases encountered in and around the vicinity of the capital Addis Ababa and larger cities. Third, we see a general trend of underreporting to police, and different helplines in Ethiopia. Furthermore, the ongoing lockdown makes reporting more difficult as the stay-at-home regulation forces abusers and abused to be contained in a space limiting accessing helplines without alerting perpetrators. The precautionary measures of physical distancing are often equated with social distancing and self-isolation of victims accounting for underreporting of VAWG cases. Last but not least there is an awareness and information gap among women and young girls regarding the currently available services for victims in the context of disrupted and irregular service provision. Many do not have information that the courts preside over domestic violence charges, which are addressed as urgent cases.

Won´t keep silent

The unnerving news about violence committed by close family members have caused public outrage and outcry on social media and in mainstream media outlets. Following the outbreak of the news, different international and national organizations have stirred public discussion including a number of panel discussions being held on VAWG, just as some have started a campaign on gender and Covid-19. Other measures taken so far include opening up an emergency shelter in Addis Ababa; announcement by the Federal Supreme Court to prioritize ‘domestic violence’ cases as well as opening up and full operationalization of women and children benches at courts. Furthermore, the office of the General Attorney has started an initiative to compile and make available reliable sources of data on gender-based violence in the Covid-19 period by collecting data from different sub city police and other justice offices. The reopening of the algenta hotline 6388 serving survivors of violence is another step taken along with support being extended to one stop centers and shelters, just as Ethiopian artists have initiated a social media campaign entitled #ዝምአልልም (literally I won’t keep silent)

Way Forward

Ethiopia’s national response and recovery plans to Covid-19 must prompt collaborative conversations on women’s rights issues. The initial step towards such joint initiative is holding a national conversation between the government, CSOs, development partners, women’s organizations and local communities in order to gain a clear picture of the magnitude and nature of VAWG. Such a joint reflection and conversation may help foster a grounded understanding of VAWG in the context of a fragmented and scarce information base. Furthermore, such joint discussions can help in laying the ground for evidence-based advocacy and women’s rights protection. Female political leaders need to play an essential role in such national conversations. By leveraging their 50 percent political representation in the cabinet, women political leaders should play a pronounced role in the national conversation and advocate for mainstreaming of gender issues in the Covid-19 response, as well as in resilience and recovery efforts. Media on its part should go beyond the mere focus on sensitizing the public about Covid-19 and rather alert the public on the rise of VAWG amidst the pandemic and on the availability of services of law enforcement bodies for people seeking justice. The national conversation needs to include CSOs and women organizations in the overall process of planning future national response mechanisms against the pandemic. CSOs advocating for women’s rights need to form an alliance, align their programs in order to raise awareness about VAWG and women’s rights issues and address the challenges posed against women in the context of the pandemic. Together, civil society and women’s organizations advocating women’s rights should push for representation in the national task force working on national response and recovery plans. Hopefully, government responses at the highest level will create a new space for national conversation on women’s right in general and VAW in particular. It is still a long way in Ethiopia before VAWG is considered and acted upon as a national priority.

GLOW is an interdisciplinary research programme (2019-2023) funded by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. It produces new knowledge on the dynamic interplay between global norms, national politics and development, bringing together African and European researchers to explore efforts to combat one of the greatest inequalities of our time - violence against women – in the context of Ethiopia.