Press release
Ouagadougou, Paris
July 6, 2020
Women's rights and health in the face of COVID-19
Testimonials and feminist perspectives from West African civil society
Published on July 6: Equipop releases a survey conducted between April and June 2020 among some 30 women's rights associations and activists in seven West African countries.
[Ouagadougou-Paris, July 6, 2020] Around the world, associations and activists working to promote gender equality have played an important role in the response to Covid-19. Observing the disproportionate impact of the crisis on women and sounding the alarm about rights violations and social distress, they have also been involved in preventing and managing the social and health consequences of Covid-19. In French-speaking Africa, a region of the world where Equipop has forged strong partnerships over the past 20 years, women's rights organizations have been particularly active. This report echoes their voices and recommendations.
“The crisis has exacerbated inequalities at all levels, points out Sylvia Apata, Executive Secretary of the organization Citizens for the Promotion and Defense of the Rights of Children, Women, and Minorities (CPDEFM) in Côte d'Ivoire. Violence against women has increased significantly with isolation: economic violence, physical violence, but also psychological violence, which takes the form of insults or threats of repudiation, for example.Our partners also report on the impact of the pandemic on women's health, particularly their sexual and reproductive health, due to a simultaneous decrease in both the supply and demand for services. Certain groups, such as young women and adolescents, are particularly affected, and the medium-term effects are expected to be severe.
Despite this situation, the political and programmatic responses to the crisis have been largely insensitive to these issues. Activists and associations in French-speaking Africa are voicing a pressing need: for governments and donors to listen to them, involve them, and support associations, particularly in times of crisis. They also express their hope that they will learn from the realities they have experienced and change their practices by committing to strengthening public services and the associative sector in order to contribute to the emergence of more just and resilient societies.
“Next year, the international community will take stock of the progress made in 25 years of fighting for women's rights and will remobilize all of our societies to end structural inequalities between women and men. If we want real systemic change, the participation of activists from all regions of the world and in all their diversity must be recognized and supported. Associations and activists in French-speaking Africa must be able to participate actively in the development of policies and programs at the national and international levels, both in times of crisis and in the long term ," says Aurélie Gal-Régniez, director of Equipop.
Notes to editors
Equipop
Equipop is an association that actively promotes the rights and health of women and girls around the world. Equipop promotes feminist values and places gender equality at the heart of its work.
Our vision: a world where all human beings, regardless of sex and gender, have their rights respected, including their sexual and reproductive rights, and have the opportunity to actively participate in just and sustainable societies.
Our missions:
- Supporting our partners, particularly associations, by strengthening their capacity for action.
- Driving social change through projects carried out in close collaboration with stakeholders in the regions where we operate.
- Mobilize political leaders and citizens in France, West Africa, and internationally to create an institutional and political environment that respects human rights, particularly women's rights.
What are the main conclusions of this survey?
So what do we do now? After assessing the impact of the crisis as seen by women's rights activists and associations in West Africa, three main categories of challenges have been identified:
- Collective challenge: to limit setbacks, redouble efforts to strengthen public systems and commit to building societies that are equal between women and men.
It is important that every actor, government, donor, association, and activist renews their commitment to sustainable and systemic responses in the fight against gender inequality and for human rights. This means keeping in mind the objectives defined in terms of public health and access to rights before the pandemic struck, and fighting collectively to maintain, or even strengthen, the initial resources.
- Challenge for governments: co-develop public policies with associations and women
The findings of our survey are clear: in times of crisis, governments must involve associations more closely in discussions, decision-making, and the implementation of measures. This joint development of responses between government authorities and associations would make the measures taken more relevant and strengthen the public's trust in and attention to prevention messages and measures. Furthermore, decision-making remains largely shaped by patriarchal systems. Women, who are overburdened with caregiving responsibilities—such as in the home, where domestic tasks are tacitly their responsibility—remain underrepresented in these spaces.
- Challenge for donors: build trusting relationships with associations, reinvent partnership arrangements, and maintain their support over the medium term.
More than ever, a crisis situation highlights the close links between the various actors in an ecosystem. The attitude of donors and their ability to understand the issues "on the ground" strongly influence the ability of associations to be responsive and provide relevant responses to those who need them. They also influence the jobs of those who work in these associations and their medium-term existence. These discussions show that certain types of partnerships between donors and associations are clearly more beneficial than others, and that the resilience of associations—like their social utility—in this type of crisis situation is linked to the trust and strength of their relationships with donors, as well as the flexibility of the contractual framework.
The complete survey, "Women's Rights and Health in the Face of COVID-19: Testimonials and Feminist Perspectives from West African Civil Society," is available for download in PDF format.
The Young Feminists' Forum
To accompany the publication of this survey, around twenty feminists who were interviewed wrote an opinion piece that was published in several West African media outlets.
This forum is available online at equipop.org.
Press contacts:
Ouagadougou: Brigitte Syan, brigitte.syan@equipop.org, +226 70 46 27 46
Paris: Louis Guinamard, louis.guinamard@equipop.org, +33 6 25 83 95 23
