The Drum Beat 793 - COVID-19, Gender, Children

• 1.Protect the Progress: Rise, Refocus, Recover - 2020 Progress Report on the Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (2016-2030)
  by Jennifer Requejo and Theresa DiazDeveloped with the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Countdown to 2030, and Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), this EWEC report explores global progress in women's, children's, and adolescents' health over the past decade. As the data show, actions taken to control COVID-19 have disproportionately affected women and children, with ramifications including lower rates of immunisations, reversals in learning outcomes due to school closures, surging reports of violence and abuse directed at girls and women, and increased poverty and food insecurity. The report also examines some strategies countries have introduced to reduce such degradation and notes that timely, disaggregated data across sectors could highlight action areas. [Sep 2020]
   
• 2.High-Level Roundtable on Women's Leadership in the COVID-19 Response to Protect Every Woman and Every Child
  On May 28 2020, EWEC presented an online roundtable of women leaders who are concerned about the ways in which COVID-19 is exposing vulnerabilities and failures in health, social, political, and economic systems, and the resulting impact on the health of women, children, and adolescents. The leaders discussed steps that need to be taken to put us back on track towards the achievement of SDG 3, which aspires to ensure health and well-being for all. The request that participants include the hashtag #RiseForAll and tag @UN_EWEC in their social media communication about an immediate step being taken to safeguard women and children's health and well-being was intended to allow EWEC to track and amplify the global conversation.
   
• 3.Caught in the COVID-19 Storm: Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health in the Context of UHC and the SDGs
  From the UN Secretary-General's Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) for EWEC, this report reviews the status of key EWEC indicators towards the SDGs and the implications of COVID-19 on women's, children's, and adolescents' health and rights. It presents: country scorecards and case studies, analyses of challenges and factors for success, an accountability framework with 4 pillars, and 3 recommendations for strengthening accountability to accelerate progress with an eye to 2030, which is linked to the IAP's embrace of the September 2019 UN High-level Meeting Declaration on universal health coverage (UHC). [Jul 2020]
   
• 4.COVID-19: A Gender Lens - Protecting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and Promoting Gender Equality
  This UNFPA technical brief sheds light on the differential impacts COVID-19 can have on women due to factors such as social norms and the division of labour. For example, emergency response to the pandemic means that resources for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services may be diverted, possibly contributing to a rise in maternal and newborn mortality, increased unmet need for contraception, and increased number of sexually transmitted infections. The brief offers a list of recommendations, including those related to the participation of women in decision-making to ensure efforts and response do not further discriminate against and exclude those most at risk. [Mar 2020]
   
• 5.Seizing the Moment: Tackling Entrenched Inequalities to End Epidemics
  This report from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) was published at a time when demands for social transformation were building, as the global HIV response agreed on interim targets to be achieved by the end of 2020. UNAIDS notes that gaps in responses to pandemics, whether HIV or COVID-19, lie along the fault lines of inequality. With a focus on synergies between pandemic responses and sustainable people-centred approaches, the report includes a chapter on "Securing Rights" that looks, for example, at how unequal gender norms undermine health rights, and the challenges faced by adolescent girls and young women. [July 2020]
   
• See also:
  Sound the alarm: people left behind in decision-making on COVID-19
  

• * For more on Gender and COVID-19 on The CI platform, click here
  
• * For a related search on Women and COVID-19 on The CI platform, click here
  
• * For more on Children and COVID-19 on The CI platform, click here
  
• * For a related search on Youth and COVID-19 on The CI platform, click here
  

• 6.Using Puppetry to Educate Children on COVID-19 and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)
  In October 2020, Vuka Afrika Performing Arts Trust began conducting social mobilisation and community engagement awareness using theatre for development to reach schoolchildren aged 3-12 in 12 districts of Umzingwane and Bulilima, Zimbabwe. The puppetry shows, which are being carried out in partnership with UNICEF Zimbabwe, are designed not only to shape children's understanding and behaviour to prevent the spread of COVID-19 but also to educate them on SGBV. The goal is "to inculcate in them the idea that a good boy or girl is one that washes hands, wears a mask and practices social distancing, and that a clever boy or girl is one that does not allow him or herself to be touched in the 'Red' don't touch zones."
   
• 7.Daring to Ask, Listen, and Act: A Snapshot of the Impacts of COVID-19 on Women and Girls' Rights and Sexual and Reproductive Health
  by Kristine AndersonIn April 2020, the UNFPA Jordan country programme, Plan International, and the Institute for Family Health (IFH)/Noor Al Hussein Foundation conducted a rapid assessment to measure the impact of COVID-19 on gender-based violence (GBV) and SRH and rights (SRHR) in Jordan's host and refugee communities. The report suggests actions that the UNFPA, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), state actors, and donors can take to support women, adolescent girls, and persons with disabilities. For example: Ensure that women's and girls' participation and empowerment remain on the list of the top priorities for the government of Jordan. [May 2020]
   
• 8.Infant and Young Child Feeding Recommendations When COVID-19 Is Suspected or Confirmed
  As a social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) intervention, counselling on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in the context of COVID-19 remains critical for pregnant women, caregivers, and their young children. WHO and UNICEF advise caregivers and families with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to continue recommended IYCF practices with the necessary hygiene precautions. To support these efforts, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Advancing Nutrition and UNICEF, with the support of the Infant Feeding in Emergencies Core Group represented by Save the Children and Safely Fed Canada, have developed an IYCF counseling package featuring user-friendly graphics that can be used with low-literacy communities and/or translated and adapted for different contexts. [2020]
   
• 9.Free the Vaccine
  This international digital advocacy campaign aims to ensure that testing, treatment, and the COVID-19 vaccine will be sustainably priced, available to all, and free at the point of delivery. It was launched by a collective of 300 volunteers - artists, medical workers, students, activists - from 29 countries around the world, working from their homes during quarantine.
   
• 10.Human Rights Dimensions of COVID-19 Response
  This document from Human Rights Watch (HRW) provides an overview of human rights concerns posed by the coronavirus outbreak, drawing on examples of government responses to date, and recommends ways governments and other actors can respect human rights in their response. Two examples of human rights concerns, with recommendations, outlined by HRW: Fulfill the right to education, even if schools are temporarily closed (e.g., ensure all children return by focusing on areas with high incidence of child labour or child marriage); and address disproportionate impacts on women and girls (e.g., ensure public awareness campaigns address how victims of domestic violence can access services, which should be available to all). [Mar 2020]
   
• 11.Early Childhood Matters 2020
  This edition of the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF)'s annual journal spotlights projects, programmes, and policies that seek to address challenges impacting babies, toddlers, and their caregivers - particularly those due to COVID-19. According to BvLF, the pandemic has underlined gaps between communities, cities, regions, and nation states. Thus, the journal features calls to action from global leaders and experts to ensure that young children, families, frontline workers, and cities continue to thrive. [Nov 2020]
   
• See also:
  Pandemic makes parenting resources a critical need
  

• * Visit the EWEC COVID-19 space here
  
• * See the videos in EWEC's COVID-19 Expert Series, a series of Q&A's about how COVID-19 is affecting women, children, and adolescents. Click here for the playlist.
  
  

• 12.Resilience in Action: Lessons Learned from the Joint Programme during the COVID-19 Crisis
  by Berhanu Legesse, Harriet Akullu, and Stephanie BaricWhile evidence from the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa showed a decrease in female genital mutilation (FGM) due to containment measures, the opposite appears to be the case with COVID-19. Intended for staff, partners, and stakeholders working towards the elimination of FGM, this report documents lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis in countries in which the UNFPA/UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation: Accelerating Change is being implemented. For example, in Ethiopia, 161 mothers and 39 girls were honoured as role models in their respective communities for saying "no" to FGM and child marriage in public ceremonies that respected social distancing guidelines and that were broadcasted on community radio. [Sep 2020]
   
• 13.Neglected and Forgotten: Women with Disabilities during the COVID Crisis in India
  The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the discrimination, isolation, and marginalisation that India's 11.8 million women with disabilities experience. To understand the extent of the challenges and to recommend remedies, the civil society organisations Rising Flame and Sightsavers undertook research, led by disabled people, which unearthed access barriers with regard to information and communication, digital spaces, remote/digital education, social protection, food and essentials, and physical and psychological support. The report offers recommendations around the inclusion of the experiences and voices of women and girls with disabilities in the COVID-19 response in India. [Jul 2020]
   
• 14.Deployment of a Smart Handwashing Station in a School Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Field Study
  by Jeremy Herbert, Caitlin Horsham, Helen Ford, Alexander Wall, and Elke HackerStudies have shown that health education on hand hygiene alone is often ineffective at changing behaviours. Thus, these researchers developed a smart handwashing station as a performance feedback approach to motivating improved hand hygiene in a school setting in Australia. Although the station integrates Internet of Things (IoT) approaches to track usage and collect images of users' hands, it does not require any infrastructure and can be shipped and deployed in many configurations. [Oct 2020]
   
• 15.Life Skills for Adolescent Girls in the COVID-19 Pandemic
  by Emily Boost, Nicola Jones, and Christina KwaukLife skills, delivered alongside other interventions that support social networks, relationship building, and economic opportunities, can confer benefits during emergencies, such as by protecting girls from physical violence, early marriage, and early pregnancy. To build the evidence base around what works, the Girls' Education Challenge, GAGE (Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence), and the Brookings Institution developed this briefing, which offers guidance on how to align the design, delivery, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of essential life skills programming for girls in the COVID-19 context. [Jul 2020]
   
• 16.The Effect of Covid-19 on Education in Africa and its Implications for the Use of Technology: A Survey of the Experience and Opinions of Educators and Technology Specialists
  From eLearning Africa and the EdTech Hub, this report shares the perspectives of 1,650 EdTech experts from 52 African countries regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education on the continent. Survey respondents highlighted 3 main obstacles for learners in the midst of school shutdown: a lack of access to technology, an unsuitable home learning environment, and a lack of access to learning materials. However, the overall picture is of a continent that remains optimistic in the face of the pandemic and understands that the combination of education and technology is more important now than ever. [Sep 2020]
   
• See also:
  Building Back Equal: Girls Back to School Guide
  

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