Philippines: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19
In conversation with ARK’s local partner, the WAVE network.
All epidemics have gendered effects and the COVID-19 pandemic will be no different. Recent history shows that women tend to be disproportionality affected, especially in Fragile and Conflicted Affected States (FCAS). As the Ebola epidemic progressed between 2014-2016, infection amongst women outpaced men, a direct result of the front-line caregiving roles fulfilled by women and girls in at risk communities. During the planning for, and response to, a pandemic it is vital that policy makers have access to reliable data in order to address epidemics in a gender responsive way. To effectively address this challenge, it is of paramount importance to engage now with civil society organisations (CSOs), particularly female led CSOs to consider how the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting men and women differently. As a result, we have been speaking with Wahida Abdullah, the co-founder of one of our partner networks in the Philippines, Women Against Violent Extremism (WAVE), to find out how women in the Philippines are being impacted by the spread of COVID-19.
Established in 2018 with the support of ARK, the WAVE network promotes awareness of the role of women in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) within their community and family. Today WAVE is comprised of 50 local grassroots organizations working to support women in at risk communities across four provinces including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), southern Philippines, Zamboanga City, Marawi City and Cotabato City (the new capital of the BARMM). In these locations the WAVE network delivers programming covering education, advocacy, outreach, and, following the outbreak of COVID-19, health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that to date the Philippines has recorded the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia. On the question of how the WAVE network is responding to the pandemic, Wahida told us that WAVE members are working long hours on the dissemination of factual information, particularly on topics related to security and women’s livelihoods. She explains that Philippine women tend to be empowered, particularly in the farming sector, but that COVID-19 is hindering their mobility and already affecting women’s economic and livelihood opportunities.
As elsewhere in the world, the general lockdown has provoked a steep increase in gender-based violence (GBV) cases, particularly domestic violence against women. This is largely the result of women being unable to visit safe spaces and go to the police to report incidents, as Wahida describes: “It has been a challenge for WAVE members to support victims of GBV in person, but we have been trying to support them remotely. All COVID-19 responses should integrate support to addressing GBV in our communities as it is not only affecting the victims lives but the whole family unit.” When asked about women’s ability to access health care, she stated that generally women in the Philippines are afraid to access basic health care and that this causes many women and girls not to seek support when it comes to their reproductive and sexual health. This has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic given that most healthcare professionals are focused on addressing the often-urgent needs of coronavirus patients, meaning there is no capacity to address women’s reproductive health issues.
Alongside working through WAVE’s CSO networks, Wahida highlights that they are also using social media to share advocacy messages on the impact the virus could have on the lives of women and girls. At present, WAVE is designing communication campaigns to raise awareness of COVID-19 and its potential impact on communities, which includes online and offline materials to be distributed in the areas where WAVE members are based. One such example is the campaign on the WAVE Facebook page, that raises awareness of available food distribution services in the areas they operate. Another important contribution is their continuous support to humanitarian aid efforts such as the distribution of free masks in the poorest areas of the Philippines. In addition, the WAVE team have been working to find livelihood opportunities for women inside their homes so they can achieve some financial stability, though this remains a challenge due to the lack of opportunities for women to work indoors.
Throughout our conversation with Wahida, it was clear that in order to meaningfully take into account the gendered impact of the pandemic in the Philippines, there is a need to raise community awareness about the impact of the virus on women’s and girls’ lives. The co-founder of the WAVE network stressed the importance of creating community support networks to boost livelihood opportunities, particularly inside their homes.
