Factors shaping responsiveness towards sexual gender-based violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: A systematic review

Abstract

:Background: Several studies have been conducted on effects of COVID-19 on health, social and economic situation. However, evidence on the African continet on the responsiveness to sexual gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been adequately documented. This paper systematically reviews evidence from the African context regarding how countries responded to sexual gender-based violence during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Drivers shaping the occurrence of SGBV included social and political responsiveness. The forms of SGBV experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic included; sexual; social- economic; physical emotional and domestic violence. Factors affecting responsiveness towards SGBV includes; limited availability or accessibility to the justice system, challenges accessing health services, inadequate human resources, fear of contracting COVID-19, social and economic barriers, and breakdown of social networks. Strategies for enhancing responsiveness included; training support, status on referral and linkages systems, protection services such as shelters and safety services, helplines and hotlines/communication, and collaboration on SGBV response.

Conclusion: There is need to strengthen broader systems responsiveness through collaboration by creating strategies that promote reduction of SGBV. These strategies should include; community engagement to shift social -cultural norms towards gender and sexuality, creating social development opportunities for empowering and enabling women and girls with self-help and reliant activities, leveraging on community health systems structures to detect, link and monitoring of SGBV cases as well as co-integration of traditional justice system into the mainstream.

Keywords:

• sexual gender-based violence
• COVID-19
• responsiveness
• collaboration
• training
• referral systems and linkages

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Authors’ contributions

MPC and JMZ: were involved in the conception and design, analysis and interpretation of the data; the drafting of the paper, revising it critically for intellectual content. HH, CH, DJ, NS, and TM: were involved in the design, analysis and interpretation of the data; the drafting of the paper, revising it critically for intellectual content. All authors approved the final version to be published.

Additional information

Funding

Not funded

Notes on contributors

Malizgani Paul Chavula

Malizgani Paul Chavula Research Officer, School of Public Health, University of Zambia

Tulani Francis L. Matenga

Tulani Francis L. Matenga Researcher- School of Public Health, University of Zambia

Hikabasa Halwiindi

Hikabasa Halwiindi Dean and Researcher – School of Public Health, University of Zambia

Caroline Hamooya

Caroline Hamooya Research Assistant- School of Public Health, University of Zambia

Noah Sichula

Noah Sichula Lecturer Community Education, University of Zambia

Deborah L Jones

Deborah L Jones Professor in Behavioral Science, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Joseph Mumba Zulu

Joseph Mumba Zulu Professor and Lecturer – Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Zambia