Impacts on girls’ safety and wellbeing

Sharp increases in gender-based violence have been reported by government agencies across the region, with a 48% increase in cases reported.17 This is corroborated by GEC projects across all countries that have reported increases in gender-based violence and sexual abuse, including increased cases of female genital mutilation reported in Somalia and Kenya. SOMGEP (Somalia) reported concerns with the lack of a functional legal system to act against perpetrators. In Kenya, there have been increases in teenage pregnancies due to school closures reported in 2020 compared to the previous year.18 STAGES (Ethiopia) surveyed with girls: 31% felt at risk of sexual violence or abuse, 21% felt at risk of domestic violence and 19% felt at risk when moving within the community.

Projects are also reporting increases in child marriage across all three countries. Both the AGES project (Somalia) and the Educate for Life project (Kenya) are concerned that losses of livelihoods and income, and increased economic hardship, have increased protection risks for girls. AGES has reported an alarming deprivation of basic needs, with 33% experiencing hunger, 47% having limited access to drinking water and 63% having no cash income for extended periods. There is a high risk of families adopting negative coping mechanisms such as early marriage and exploitation of children for hazardous or illegal labour in such circumstances.

The impact of COVID-19 on girls’ mental health was also apparent, with projects in Ethiopia and Somalia reporting an increase in the number of girls feeling anxious. For example, girls supported by the Biruh Tefa for All project in Ethiopia reported increased feelings of social isolation, with many girls feeling that they are not cared for or loved. Excelling Against the Odds (Ethiopia) reported increased mental health concerns, with 56% of girls feeling worried or anxious. In Somalia, 60% of girls felt ‘very sad or depressed’ daily, with the majority saying this had worsened since COVID-19 started. Reasons provided were COVID-19, the uncertain environment and a lack of basic needs (as reported by AGES).

In Somalia, the AGES project used Girls’ Empowerment Forums to discuss the challenges girls faced and worked with the Ministry of Education Gender Focal Points and Community Education Committees to address protection issues. In Kenya, project interventions ranged from conducting community conversations around teenage pregnancy (Jielemishe) to using the community health volunteers that formed part of their mixed-team distance learning delivery model to help ensure girls’ psychosocial wellbeing as well as identifying issues and referring learners to local counselling networks as needed (Let Our Girls Succeed).

In Ethiopia, there has been an increase in child marriages. Projects have worked to address this by working with community representatives to sensitise them to the issues that girls were facing (STAGES) and intervening or negotiating with families if there was prior knowledge of a marriage being arranged, and referring those who escaped early marriage to local officials and service providers (Excelling Against the Odds).

Ethiopia

Literature review findings: There has been an increase in child marriages ( Wuilbercq 2020).

Project findings:

STAGES saw increased child marriages which impacted on return to school. A rapid assessment report showed that since schools closed there has been an increase in girls feeling worried and anxious (56.6%), girls being asked to marry (31.2%), risk of sexual violence and abuse (29.8%), migration for paid work (27.1%), domestic violence (21.2%), risk of attack when moving within the community (19.3%), and risk of attack when travelling outside the community (18.0%).

Biruh Tefa for All reported increased feelings of social isolation, with many girls feeling that they are not cared for or loved.

Core interventions:

Excelling Against the Odds implemented activities that intervened and negotiated with families if prior knowledge of an early marriage being arranged. In addition, newly married girls and those escaping an early marriage were referred to local officials and service providers, e.g. Women’s Officers and Health Extension Workers, for psychosocial and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) support. The project also supported married girls to register for school. Additional activities included the distribution of health and social wellbeing leaflets and health extension workers awarenessraising on COVID-19, psychosocial support (PSS) training and guidance for focal teachers and community volunteers. STAGES worked with community representatives (e.g. Kebele leaders), headteachers, woreda level political leaders and education officials to sensitise them to girls’ issues. The project provided gender and inclusion responsive pedagogy training (including COVID-19, safety, wellbeing and safeguarding) to over 400 government-recruited teachers. Additional activities included local radio messaging on safeguarding, health and wellbeing. The project also provided emergency items to 144 schools as children returned (soaps, disinfectant, jerry cans and sanitiser).

Kenya

Literature review findings:

There was a 35% increase in GBV cases and 50% increase in violence against girls in the first half of April ( World Vision International 2020). A national helpline reported a more than 10-fold increase in calls (Bhalla 2020a). The was also an increase in GBV (Ford 2020) and FGM being reported (Bhalla 2020)

Project findings:

Let Our Girls Succeed and KEEP saw an increase in early marriage and pregnancy.

Jielimishe saw increases in child abuse.

Educate for Life saw that a loss of livelihoods and source of income aggravated sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases.

Core interventions:

Let Our Girls Succeed used a mixed-team delivery model of safety as community health volunteers were able to help ensure the girls’ psychosocial wellbeing by identifying any issues at the household level and referring learners to local counselling networks as needed.

Educate for Life built on existing reporting systems and policies to ensure that those who did not have internet or signal had access to reporting mechanisms (e.g. water points with suggestion boxes and walk-in set up in inaccessible places where girls could meet with mentors). Additional activities used SMS platforms and toll-free lines to identify and follow up with those at risk of GBV. Radio messaging in place of community meetings. Topics included the importance of keeping children safe, the project produced messages on child safeguarding, GBV and Safe Return to School.

Jielimishe conducted village-based mentorship and sessions on SRH and community conversations around teenage pregnancy.

Somalia

Literature review findings:

There hass been an increase in domestic violence, sexual violence against girls and FGM ( WHO 2020).

Project findings:

SOMGEP has qualitative reports of increased early marriage and the lack of a functional legal system to act against perpetrators.

AGES’ early marriage data does not differ from the general trend pre-COVID-19. However, a COVID-19 analysis report suggested that there was a high risk of families adopting negative coping mechanisms such as early marriage and exploitation of children for hazardous or illegal labour in the face of such extreme circumstances. Aa large proportion have been deprived of basic needs more than ten days: 33% experiencing hunger; 47% limited access to drinking water; 43% lack access to medicines; 63% no cash income for extended periods. In addition, 60% of the girls feel “very sad or depressed” daily; 92% of those affirmed that this had worsened since COVID-19 started. COVID-19 (82%), insecure environment (67%) and lack of basic needs (45%) were the main reasons offered for why people thought they might be depressed and anxious.

Core interventions:

AGES used Girls’ Empowerment Forums to discuss challenges such as pressures and relationships with parents. In addition, the project provided support to Ministry of Education (MoE) gender focal points, mentors, and Girls’ Empowerment Forums to develop and implement action plans to follow up on dropout cases and work with Community Education Committees (CEC) local leaders to address protection issues. Additional activities included psychological first aid (PFA) training for teachers. The project also worked with CECs to follow up on dropout cases, focusing on girls with disabilities and minority children.