Protection response under the restriction of COVID-19

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COVID-19 pandemic has taken the entire world by surprise, creating the greatest global catastrophe since WWII, impacting all spheres of our societies, including health, economy, social protection, as well as security, and human rights. The virus affects people and communities indiscriminately in all parts of the world, with particularly strong impact on poorer communities, especially those already suffering from the humanitarian consequences caused by conflicts, social-economic problems or disasters. As of 7 October 2020, over…

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The Condition of the Girl Child worldwide

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This year’s “indifesa” Dossier cannot help but address the global consequences of the pandemic. With almost all countries imposing lockdowns of varying intensities, schools and health centres have closed, workshops, seminars or awareness sessions have been impossible to organise, and millions of girls and young women confined to isolation. Nowadays, there is already a worrying rise in abuse, forced marriages, school dropouts, cyberbullying, online sexual violence and female genital mutilation. This report offers a significant…

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Protecting land and natural resources tenure rights in the era of COVID-19 by heeding the lessons from the past

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in food supply chains, undermining the ability of small food producers to access their land and the natural resources they need, thereby rendering them more vulnerable to encroachment on their tenure rights. This pandemic is requiring all stakeholders to evaluate and plan for how to protect the tenure rights of small food producers, particularly women, indigenous peoples (IPs) and other vulnerable groups, to avoid additional devastating effects that…

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Fighting inequality in the time of COVID-19: The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2020

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COVID-19 hit a world woefully unprepared to fight it, because countries had failed to choose policies to fight inequality. Only one in six countries assessed for the CRI Index 2020 were spending enough on health, only a third of the global workforce had adequate social protection, and inmore than100 countries at least one in three workers had no labour protection such as sick pay. As a result, many have faced death and destitution, and inequality…

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Addressing stigma and discrimination in the COVID-19 response

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3In the wake of the fear and uncertainty that emerge during a pandemic, stigma and discrimination quickly follow, exposing people to violence, harassment and isolation, and hampering the delivery and uptake of essential health services and public health measures to control the pandemic. The stigma that arises during a pandemic can exacerbate existing inequalities, including those related to race, socioeconomic status, occupation, gender, immigration status and sexual orientation. The presence of stigma specific to certain…

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“The greatest need was to be listened to”: The importance of mental and psychosocial support during COVID-19

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Early in 2020, as the world was beginning to realise the magnitude of the humanitarian and societal consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, we began to see the huge psychological implications of the virus itself and the measures to prevent it. Worries and fears about losing loved ones, becoming sick or about health systems being over-loaded continue to be common among the people we support. Moreover, measures imposed by governments to prevent the spread of the…

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Systems thinking for health emergencies: use of process mapping during outbreak response

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Summary: There is little to no published research on process mapping being conducted during health emergen-cies to improve the current outbreak response. Our research shows that despite the chaos and complexities associated with emerging pathogen outbreaks, process mapping can address immediate response priorities while simultaneously strengthening components of a health system. This methodology could be applied to any country that has an outbreak, including COVID-19 cases. There is an acute need in the global health…

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COVID-19, Public Authority and Enforcement

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The securitization of health is not a new phenomenon. However, global responses to the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa reveal the extent to which epidemic preparedness and response is now shaped by geopolitical concerns. UN Security Council Resolution 2177 epitomizes this. The resolution asserted that “the outbreak is undermining the stability of the most affected countries … [and] the Ebola outbreak in Africa constitutes a threat to international peace and security” (UN 2014: 1)….

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Solidarity with the people and governments of Africa in tackling COVID-19

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Africa has responded swiftly to the COVID-19 pandemic and, as of now, reported cases are lower than early pessimistic estimates. It is too early to know the full impact of COVID-19 on Africa. To date, the experience has been varied. Moreover, as with other regions, there is not one homogenous narrative around the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. The pandemic is affecting African countries differently, given varied strengths and vulnerabilities. There are causes for concern, but…

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Spreading disease, spreading conflict? COVID-19, climate change and security risks

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At the intersection of health, climate and conflict risks, four key pathways through which COVID-19 can exacerbate climate-related security risks stand out: Increased pressure on livelihoods and resources. The combination of COVID-19 and climate change impacts can put additional stress on livelihoods and resources, and reduce adaptive capacity, which in turn can exacerbate conflict risks. Negative impacts on migration as an adaptation strategy. Measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic can increase the…

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