JENNIFER IHEANACHO-SHAHID
Centre for Strategic Research And Studies, National Defence College, Abuja Nigeria
Email Address: jenalio14@gmail.com
Abstract
The paper examines the impact of corona-virus pandemic on women in Nigeria. Emergencies and times of unrest have been linked with increasing reports of Gender Based Violence. Pandemics and Epidemics on the other hand are no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with an increase in Gender Based Violence termed the Shadow Pandemic due to the control measures adopted in containing the spread of the virus. The paper adopted the Social Ecological Model to explain and understand the factors that contribute to the increase of Gender Based Violence against women during emergencies or natural disasters and how interaction of individual and environmental factors influence behavior and attitudes that create an atmosphere that encourages violence. The paper was based on secondary sources of data. The findings of the paper revealed that the lockdown isolated women and attenuated opportunities for them to divulge the abuse or receive necessary support services or resources. The paper also discovered that there has been an increased rate of reported cases of Gender Based Violence during the months of lockdown in Nigeria. The paper concluded that the corona-virus outbreak has exposed the shadow pandemic of violence and inequality and the exclusion of the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development is a step in the wrong direction . The paper recommended that it is pertinent to integrate gender lens into disease response and protection mechanism and Gender Based Violence services should be termed as essential duties during crisis and emergencies.
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