COVID-19: For Victims of Abuse, Social Distancing Makes Things Worse
Gender-Based Violence
Abiola Akiode-Afolabi, who is the executive director of WARDC, said although there was high prevalence of gender-based violence before the COVID-19, the pandemic and its attendant lockdown aggravated it.
“Tension has built up, there is a lot of uncertainty, there are fears around and people are not sure whether they’re going to get their jobs back, and many more are not sure what to expect,” she said at the time.
Foluke Ademokun, the executive coordinator at Ajoke Ayisat Afolabi Foundation, said most of the reports her organisation received during the lockdown were issues of “domestic jealousy and anger”, people living with their abusers, tension due to the economic impact of the lockdown, and tension between tenants and landlords.
Activists said the lockdown left victims of abuse at the mercy of their abusers as many, due to restriction, were not able to escape from their abusers. And when they eventually did, neighbours afraid of contracting being infected with the virus, refused to offer close help like taking them in.