These items noted by Giovetti are noteworthy as the learnings and opportunities of COVID-19 continue to be gathered. Each of these ten items point to challenges for communities, and more especially for women of colour and communities of colour. COVID-19 amplified the fault lines already present for vulnerable communities. The items highlighted in the article are cause for concern as they further erode the opportunities for women and girls as the pandemic continues. Education and economic progress are at stake for girls and women. Loss of income and the inability to access education have grave implications for the future of girls and impact the health, mortality and poverty of women and children. Equity has to remain a focus for women and girls beyond COVID-19 because as Giovetti notes, emergencies will continue to deepen the inequalities that exist between the genders. Loss of income affects food access and is at the root of the increasing number of women experiencing poverty. As service industries have lost jobs due to the pandemic, women have lost jobs and income, although many were already in low wage jobs. The implications for women’s mental and physical health will require long term attention as well. The stress of pandemic living and the adaptations to the loss of income, inability to procure food and necessary resources are wearing away at the health of women. In addition, the increase in gender-based violence is an additional stress as social isolation and sheltering in place required individuals to be in their homes more. All homes are not safe places for women and girls.
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Where injustices are present, the church must lend voice, advocacy and collective action to dismantling systems of patriarchy and privilege and ensure equity and access are available to all.
Intimate partner violence was a problem prior to COVID-19 and has worsened in the past two years. The UN reported that one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. The experiences of women and girls during these two years of pandemic has mirrored the experiences of the past and they have worsened. More women are losing jobs. More women are in poverty. More women are going hungry. More women are experiencing physical and sexual abuse. These are women who are a part of the church. These are women who live in the communities we live in and the communities we serve. Women cannot advocate alone for the changes needed to guarantee safety and human rights for women and girls. The church has a role to play to ensure that all of God’s children are able to live as recipients of justice. This moment is inviting us to name the truths of the realities in which women of colour are living. I believe in doing so the church will be responsive and attending to these matters of justice. We have to start with the places where we live, calling the churches to accountability for our complicity in the marginalisation of women in our communities. Where injustices are present, the church must lend voice, advocacy and collective action to dismantling systems of patriarchy and privilege and ensure equity and access are available to all. Where silence persists
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