Skeletons of COVID-19
A lot can happen in nine months; life can be formed, lost, altered beyond recognition. In December 2019, the world came to know about COVID-19. Like most Trinis, I was concerned about Carnival, which takes place in February, and what this pandemic would mean for us–knowing that being the mecca meant hosting people from every corner of the world. But for most of us, pandemics and epidemics are things you watch on TV from the comfort of your homes. You never really think it will hit you. Yet here we are. Trinidad received its first positive case in March 2020. From December 2019 to now there are 216 countries and territories are affected by this virus.
Across the world, governments have put in place measures to curb the spread of the virus; lockdowns, states of emergency, closure of establishments, and encouraging citizens to stay at home and practice regular handwashing. Countries have released the lockdown but quickly reverted because the virus surged again. Like many pandemics in history, we are seeing the effect shutting down can have on a nation’s citizens, especially its most vulnerable. What COVID-19 has unearthed is the inability of countries to ensure that women and other vulnerable groups are safe and can survive.
Women and girls around the world have had a very different experience to men during this period. There is a huge divide and disparity in financial, social, and health outcomes. This has resulted in a domino effect of unemployment, abuse, and poverty. On April 7th, 2020, Trinidad and Tobago for example, tourism, the food industry, and businesses in the informal sector that have been seen as non-essential had been shut down for several weeks. Most of these sectors comprise workers who are women. With its reopening of the food industry, in-house dining is forbidden but this where restaurants, bars and cinemas make the most profit. With this strain, these businesses have delayed their reopening and some restaurants have even closed down completely because of it.
While some governments are offering salary relief grants, workers who make up the informal sector—mostly women—are unable to access these grants because they do not pay taxes. In many Caribbean territories, women are the breadwinners. Now more than ever we see an imbalance of the burden on them within the home. Many children are unable to access schooling because of the lack of connection and access to a digital device. Around the world the digital divide is widening thousands of persons behind. Women and girls in various parts of the world are now forced into labour and child marriage because the future of education is unsure. “In Latin America alone, school closures have left more than 154 million children unable to transition to e-learning thanks to the lack of access to online services.”
Gender justice advocate Dr. Rosina Wiltshire shared that the pandemic has brought many issues affecting women to the fore. Women carry the load of cooking and cleaning in the home as well as home-schooling. Being unable to work widens the poverty gap.Across the globe, while some crimes are decreasing, domestic violence has increased. According to UN Women, cases of domestic violence have increased between 25 and 33 per cent in various countries. With the lockdown, helplines are not always fully staffed and shelters—where these are available—may not be prepared to take in survivors. Abuse may also extend to financial control, as many women have to rely on partners and spouses for resources.
This period has seen a rise in the exploitation of migrant women in Trinidad and Tobago. Recently, the International Organization on Migration (IOM) highlighted a story of a young Venezuelan woman seeking refuge in Trinidad. She was being held against her will after having been recruited for sex work. Her wages had been withheld and she had experienced various forms of abuse. Migrant women are extremely vulnerable as they are unaware of their legal rights.
In January 2020, The Trinidad and Tobago Police Services set up a Gender-Based Violence Unit with the goal of clamping down on the spike of cases and incidents. While this Unit has been put in place to protect survivors of abuse, there has been no direct change or implementation of stricter measures to ensure that women and girls are safe.Across the world, women make up 70 per cent majority of the health sector, carrying the weight of this pandemic on their backs. Being a frontline worker means being exposed to a higher risk of infection and burnout. As primary carers, women also risk getting infected as they tend to the elderly and sick family members.
What we are seeing now should serve as a wake-up call. We should examine how we treat those in a lower socioeconomic position, realize our privilege, and use it to do and be better citizens and nations.Recovery committees during and after COVID-19 must include women and young people so that decision-making can reflect their input. Planning must be done through a gender lens, ensuring that everyone benefits from an equal and equitable distribution of healthcare, employment, and assistance where needed.
No one should be left behind.