UNDER SIEGE
Impact of COVID-19 on Girls in Africa
Pandemics, like other crises, often result in the breakdown of social infrastructure and services, leading to health, transport, food, sanitation, legal, security and other governance structures being temporarily contracted or becoming dysfunctional. This may result in increased exposure of women and children to human rights abuses, including exposure to gender-based violence. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and added yet another layer of vulnerability to an already dire web of vulnerabilities of girls in the African continent, which constitute about 49% of the total child population. Critically, gender equality and girls’ multidimensional vulnerability have been accentuated to an unprecedented level. The pandemic has triggered major concerns about the potential reversal of the strides achieved over the years towards gender equality and human development in Africa.
African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) and Plan International AU Liaison Office welcome you to the launch of a major report on the impact of COVID-19 on girls titled: Under Siege: Impact of COVID-19 on Girls in Africa.
Report launched on 19 August 2020