The Human Rights Impact of COVID-19 on African Women: Focus on Nigeria and South Africa

Abstract

The impact of the coronavirus epidemic will inevitably remain with people and societies, particularly vulnerable sectors, like women and children who have always been worst hit by negative occurrences like global health crises. Government response to salvage such situations is usually expressed through regulations. Most times, the response has a reverberating effect that would reflect on the rights of citizens. In the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, the regulation put in place was the lockdown which affected some human rights. Apart from the direct impact of the lockdown on the rights of citizens, one major effect of the lockdown was the forced use of technology by everybody, including the government. This too was not without its impact on the human rights of citizens. This paper seeks to analyse the impact of Covid-19 on some specific rights of women in Africa and the intersection with technology. It discusses the challenges of the state of technology in Africa and the gender divide as a development problem that needs to be prioritised through gender mainstreaming. With a focus on South Africa and Nigeria, it compares with government attempts in developed countries to mitigate the impact of the covid on its women. The paper presents from a desktop methodology of literature review of papers, analysis of reports, laws, and policies. It contributes to the increasing existing literature on the topic of Covid-19. The paper will be useful for policymaking and public enlightenment.