African women face two pandemics

African states have failed to protect women and children from violence amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In the last few months, as the coronavirus has spread across the world, African countries have registered a surge in cases of domestic violence and sexual violence, which has provoked public outrage. African countries are not unique in this pattern of increased gender-based violence during the pandemic. The UN has warned of a "shadow pandemic", as countries across the world have reported a spike in domestic violence. The reality, however, is that violence against women and girls is hardly a "shadow" pandemic. The term "shadow" trivialises and minimises the consistent and harrowing violence African women and girls experience on a daily basis. To address violence against women and girls, African governments must first acknowledge its historic existence and tackle it as a matter of national emergency.

MORE