Living nightmares:- sad realities of women under lockdown

By Netsai Marova

While reflecting on the plight of Zimbabwean women under lockdown I am having a shocking realization, for most of us life has become a living hell punctuated by worrying silence.

Horror scenes are flashing in my mind as I consider the plight of grandmothers taking care of orphans, of girls whose guardians are choosing to buy vegetables instead of buying them sanitary wear, of hungry commercial sex workers whose clients are under lockdown, of sad women confined at home with abusive partners, and of women being exposed to coronavirus daily as they are fetching water at community water points, queuing to buy groceries at supermarkets, or to lining up for scanty food aid in the rural areas.

I can’t be silent, when society is behaving as if all other issues disappeared when COVID-19 arrived.

Recently, I read worrying reports about a wife killing her husband over a tv channel dispute, a prison officer attempting suicide because of a domestic dispute, and a husband bashing his wife when he was asked about used condoms. This got me thinking, and I did some research.

According to Musasa Project: between March 30 when the lockdown began and April 9, there were 764 reports of gender-based violence. Normally, around 550 cases are reported during the same number of days. 

In most of these cases, women were at the receiving end. This trend is supported by studies on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa during 2014-15 which indicate that women and girls experienced higher rates of sexual violence and abuse during the quarantine period.

Without doubt, times of crisis are always conducive to a rise in violence, psychological abuse quickly escalates to physical or sexual violence, and maybe even lead to femicide. Whilst in African traditions, being married entitles couples to conjugal rights, there must be consent. 

However, with lockdown having brought couples together 24-7, most women are paying hefty prizes as they are subjected to more “duty” calls than consensual sharing of the forbidden fruit.

On the other hand, the lockdown has also exposed maids and vulnerable girls living in extended families to a higher risk of sexual abuse. The government should consider establishing isolation centers for women escaping abuse during this trying period.

The society has to look into the plight of commercial sex workers as well, these women are caught between a rock and a hard surface. Whilst their trade is generally treated as immorality, it does exist, and commercial sex workers are still our sisters, mothers and aunts who have no other way to feed themselves or raise their families given the harsh economic realities of our country. COVID-19 lockdown means they have no source of earning a living, their clients are locked down.

In instances when they get lucky, they are at risk of contracting the dreaded coronavirus through kisses of their daring customers, and spreading it further. A sizable percentage of them is already immunocompromised, so they have a higher likelihood of developing severe forms of COVID-19.

More so, their psychological stress levels are already high because they are hungry, and their future is bleak. Therefore, I suggest that commercial sex workers be considered for government grants earmarked  for vulnerable members of society.   

Turning to, the menstrual cycle, which cannot be put under lockdown like coronavirus, it no matter the circumstances, when it’s due, the blood flows. Sadly, the unavailability of sanitary wear is stressing most women, prompting them use of unhygienic options cloths cut from old t-shirts.

The government, progressive organizations and private sector, must consider distributing free, or subsidized, sanitary wear to bridge the gap created by economic inactivity necessitated by the current crisis. 

Consider how the African society is unfairly exposing women to coronavirus. In densely populated places like Matapi Flats near Mbare Musika or Nenyere Flats near Magaba home industries for instance, many households share the same ablution facilities.

Society expects women to clean these facilities, oftentimes without proper protective clothing, which puts them at risk of contracting diseases like cholera, typhoid in addition to the dreaded COVID-19 which has been seen to be present in stools of about forty percent of all infected patients. Gloves, face masks, other protective equipment, sanitizers, soap and disinfectants should be provided in these high risk  areas. 

More exposure happens as women gather at community boreholes to fetch water, at supermarkets where they que to buy groceries or at food aid distribution centers in rural areas. Therefore, awareness campaigns to teach social distancing and masks in ques could help reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19. Local authorities could also consider providing water bowsers to reduce the hard labor for these women, remember handwashing which is being cannot happen without water.

Girls are often expected to help their mothers in cleaning the toilets, and fetching water among other household chores. With schools closed, and classes going online the girl child has less time to learn, and this will show more when schools reopen, the learning time girls are losing will never  be regained.

For some girls, schools are the only places where they could focus on studies or the only place they have to get away from abuse. Some of them are orphans living with physically weak grandmothers who can’t protect them from abusive aunts and uncles.

For the sake of these children, government should consider for reducing the lockdown period, reopening schools or providing shelters for those who wish to study or escape abuse.

I challenge the government taskforce on coronavirus to scale up advocacy on gender based equality, and combat abuse of women during, and after, lockdown.

They can do this  through setting up hotlines to deal gender based violence, and setting up centers to protect those in grave danger because of the lockdown.

I also challenge activists to break their silence and speak against social ills happening under lockdown, you cannot be silent, your voice is more important now than ever before. 

Netsai Marova, gender activist and MDC Alliance National Youth Deputy Organising Secretary