Cases Of Gender-based Violence Research Articles

Danger Zone or Newfound Freedoms: Exploring Women and Girls' Experiences in the Virtual Space during COVID-19 in Iraq.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, women and girls across the globe faced increased reliance on the digital space to access education, social support, and health and gender-based violence (GBV) services. While research from the last three years has explored how women and girls navigated and responded to their new virtual reality, minimal evidence has been generated from low-resource settings where access to technology may be limited. Further, no studies to date have examined these dynamics in Iraq, where women and girls already face numerous threats to safety due to various forms of structural violence and patriarchal family structures. This qualitative study aimed to examine women and girls' experiences in the digital space during COVID-19 in Iraq, including the benefits and risks of engagement as well as how access to the digital space was controlled. Data for the present analysis come from the authors' larger multi-country study investigating women and girls' safety and access to GBV services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health measures employed to control the spread of the virus. In Iraq, semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted virtually with fifteen GBV service providers. Following the translation and transcription of interviews, the thematic analysis highlighted several benefits and challenges women and girls experienced as they tried to access and utilize technology for schooling, support services, and obtaining and spreading information. While many women and girls increasingly and successfully relied on social media to spread awareness of GBV cases, key informants noted that women and girls also faced increased risks of experiencing electronic blackmail. In addition to a substantial digital divide in this context-which manifested as differential access to technology by gender, rural/urban status, and socioeconomic status-intrahousehold control of girls' access to and use of technology left many adolescent girls unable to continue schooling and contributed to their further marginalization and consequent decline in well-being. Implications for women's safety and mitigation strategies are also discussed.

Detection of gender-based violence in primary care in Central Catalonia: a descriptive cross-sectional study

BackgroundViolence against women is a serious public health problem. Primary care could be one of the ideal places for the detection of gender-based violence (GBV), since women come into contact with PC at some point in their lives to look after their sexual and reproductive health. The increase in initiatives promoted by the health authorities regarding GBV offers the possibility of observing its evolution over the last few years.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study of reported cases of GBV in the region of Central Catalonia, during the period from 2017 to 2021, was carried out. All women of legal age, belonging to the specified health region and suffering episodes of GBV, were included. The variables analysed were age, area of residence, health diagnoses related to GBV, whether or not they were pregnant at the time of the attack, and mental health history.ResultsOf the total number of women studied, 1,467 presented some type of diagnosis of GBV, with a total of 3,452 episodes reported. We found an increase in the detection of cases, although it must be noted that there is an underreporting of cases in PC. The prevalence according to the total number of women assigned per year over the period studied was 0.42% in 2017 and 0.48% in 2021. It has also been observed that the average number of episodes per woman increased from 1.03 in 2017 to 1.15 in 2021. During the 5 years analysed, the minimum number of episodes per woman was 1 and the maximum was 10. In reference to the duration of the episodes, the minimum was 1 day, and the maximum was 32 years. The mean age of the women was 42.10 years, the most frequent nationality was Spanish (46.60%), and 54.15% of them lived in rural areas.ConclusionsDespite the established protocols and procedures, it seems that primary health care is not the most frequent place for its detection. It is necessary to continue working to raise awareness and train professionals, and to ensure coordination among all the parties involved in accompanying women in these processes.Trial registrationCEIm: 21/278-P.

Awareness of Gender Based Violence Interventions by Women of Reproductive Age in Kibera Slums

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a major worldwide public health concern which is quite prevalent with domestic violence being voiced as the most common (WHO, 2020). According to WHO (2020), at least 1 in 3 women have experience physical or sexual violence. A study by NCRC (2020) showed cases of gender- based violence in Kenya reported between January and June, 2020 (that is 2,032) are way above the total numbers reported between January and December, 2019 (that is 1,057), representing 92.2% increase and confirming an escalation of incidents (NCRC, 2020). Kibera slum is not spared from GBV cases and other public health issues. A cross-section study was designed to determine the level of awareness of the available GBV interventions among women of reproductive age in Kibera slums and to determine the factors associated with awareness of available GBV interventions offered to women of reproductive age in Kibera slums, the second largest slums in Sub-Saharan Africa. The data was collected with a questionnaire from a sample of 390 interviewees. The findings showed that only 9 (2.3%) which is a small percentage had adequate awareness of the types of interventions that were available for GBV while 112 (28.7%) were not aware of any GBV interventions. The age, education level, occupation, affordability, accessibility, cultural factors, and acceptability of the services were the factors associated with the awareness of available GBV interventions. The study recommended the training of the public and private sectors on the importance of the GBV interventions so as to ensure that the survivors are attended to early enough to curb long- term consequences and that the perpetrators are punished for the vice and there is also a need to raise the women of Kibera slums from low socio-economic status which make them susceptible to and victims of GBV.

Epidemiological and Clinical Study of Violence against Women and Girls in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Sominé Dolo Hospital in Mopti, Mali

Introduction: The multidimensional crisis (security, institutional and humanitarian) that Mali experienced in 2012 caused a massive displacement of populations, particularly the most vulnerable, i.e. women and children. During the occupation, numerous cases of violence were reported by rights organizations and non-governmental organizations. Objective: The objective was to highlight the contribution of the obstetrics and gynecology department of the Sominé DOLO hospital in Mopti in dealing with violence against women and girls during this period. Methods and Materials: This was a cross-sectional study from January 1, 2016 to August 31, 2017 on victims admitted to our service for cases of gender-based violence. The sample size was 20 and was randomly selected. The inclusion criteria were all victims of violence against women and girls admitted to the service during the study period. The non- inclusion criteria concerned cases of violence against women and girls not recorded and managed in our service. Results: In total, we recorded 6971 outpatients in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the Sominé DOLO hospital in Mopti during the study period, including 207 cases of violence against women and girls, i.e. a frequency of 2.96%. The types of violence were represented by early marriage (77.30% of cases, n = 160), sexual violence (11.60% of cases, n = 24), female genital mutilation and its complications(5.80% of cases, n = 12) and physical violence (5.30% of cases, n = 11). Conclusion: We found that violence against women is a tragedy that can have physical, psychological and obstetrical repercussions in the short, medium and long term.

“Embarrassing and disgraceful”: technology-facilitated sexual violence and victim’s healing process

This study aims to reveal the communication experience of victims of online gender-based violence and the healing process from the trauma they experienced. The main research questions are how victims experience violence online, what motives encourage perpetrators to commit violence from the victim’s perspective, the meaning of the communication experience, and the victim’s process of healing the traumatic experience. In this qualitative study, phenomenological methods and symbolic interaction theory were employed. The research subjects are women victims of online gender-based violence cases. Informants were selected through a purposive sampling technique. The results showed that most cases of threats of spreading intimate photos or videos were experienced by victims when they asked for a breakup or did not follow the wishes of the perpetrator. Victims of violence in the online realm are also vulnerable to multiple layers of violence. The video is used as a tool for the perpetrator so that the victim does not refuse to have sex with the perpetrator. The impact experienced by the victim is psychological loss, social isolation, and limited mobility. The three motives behind the above cases are relational, sextortion or extortion, and unknown motives. The meanings obtained from the communication experience of victims are shame, disgrace, loss of identity, feeling tarnished, and having mistrust of the opposite sex. The victims used various ways to heal themselves from the trauma, namely getting closer to God, telling stories to friends, and consulting psychologists.

Gamification as a Tool for Social Change: A Case of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is one of the most significant social issues affecting the world, and just as in many other countries, GBV is pervasive in South Africa, where cultural norms and gender-based customs and traditions serve to condone and reinforce abusive practices. According to Article 13 of the Istanbul Convention, a preventive intervention requires heightened awareness as a first step in changing attitudes and behaviour that perpetuate the different forms of GBV. Hence, this study explores how awareness-raising can be effectively used as a preventive strategy to induce change in attitudes and behaviour associated with gender-based violence (GBV). Firstly, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify, select, and critically appraise existing empirical studies on GBV in South Africa. The systematic review used PRISMA guidelines for literature selection and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) data extraction form to extract relevant data. The findings from the systematic review were described using a summary table, which reveals the different forms of GBV, the overarching causes and the contributing factors to GBV in South Africa. As this is a preliminary study expected to lead into future studies, relevant secondary data, including previous empirical studies, were reviewed to explore how gamification can be employed for awareness campaigns that challenge persistent myths, prejudices, and stereotypes and disrupt different pathways that lead to GBV. Finally, the study provides a structure for the future experimental study where an interactive awareness-raising game will be developed. This paper also stimulates new research directions on the potential of gamification for social change. Keywords: Awareness-raising game, Gamification, Gender-based violence, Gender theory

Situational diagnosis of cases of gender-based violence

The present investigation had the intention of detecting cases of gender violence, which is known as physical, sexual, psychological, or social damage against a person. In various kinds of literature, it is referred to as any act of violence that causes damage to the health status of women. The prevalence of gender-based violence worldwide is high, affecting millions of women, which is why it is currently considered one of the main public health problems. For this study, the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) questionnaire was carried out, which allows the detection of gender-based violence against women in the domestic environment. The main results show that 99 women out of the 223 surveyed have suffered from some type of abuse. violence, wherepsychological and economic violence is the most frequent.

Efektivitas Twitter Sebagai Media Speak Up Korban Kekerasan Berbasis Gender

Victims of gender-based violence got a significant increase each year, it can even double from the previous year. Cases of gender-based violence are often difficult to solve, due to the lack of reports and witnesses, especially from the victims themselves. It is not easy to express or speak up about incidents that have been experienced by victims of gender-based violence. Often victims are silenced and unable to express their psychological condition. However, there is a free voice media, namely social media, one of which is Twitter. In that media, many victims of gender-based violence expressed what they experienced, and received support and there was no silence. With this, the researcher conducted a research on the effectiveness of Twitter as a media to speak up, especially for victims of gender-based violence who often feel silenced. Researchers use quantitative methods to obtain objective data and generate generalizable arguments whether effective or not. The result of this study is that Twitter is effective as a medium for Speak Up victims of gender-based violence.

Efektivitas Twitter Sebagai Media Speak Up Korban Kekerasan Berbasis Gender

Victims of gender-based violence got a significant increase each year, it can even double from the previous year. Cases of gender-based violence are often difficult to solve, due to the lack of reports and witnesses, especially from the victims themselves. It is not easy to express or speak up about incidents that have been experienced by victims of gender-based violence. Often victims are silenced and unable to express their psychological condition. However, there is a free voice media, namely social media, one of which is Twitter. In that media, many victims of gender-based violence expressed what they experienced, and received support and there was no silence. With this, the researcher conducted a research on the effectiveness of Twitter as a media to speak up, especially for victims of gender-based violence who often feel silenced. Researchers use quantitative methods to obtain objective data and generate generalizable arguments whether effective or not. The result of this study is that Twitter is effective as a medium for Speak Up victims of gender-based violence.

Student violence towards teaching assistants in UK schools: a case of gender-based violence

ABSTRACT In recent years significant research attention has focused on the problem of student violence in schools and, to a lesser extent, on its relationship to gender-based violence. However, student violence towards teaching assistants has not been studied, despite evidence suggesting that teaching assistants are at significantly more risk from student violence than other staff members. In this article, we draw on data from 16 in-depth interviews with teaching assistants who have experienced student violence. We conclude that violence towards teaching assistants is ignored, in both research and in schools, precisely because of the feminized and under-valued nature of the role, and argue that the continual victimization of teaching assistants diminishes their status further. We highlight its parallels with gender-based violence and argue that applying such a framework is key to recognizing the personal and social harms that this violence causes and the organizational responses that leaves teaching assistants particularly vulnerable.

Bottlenecks and Solutions During Implementation of the DREAMS Program for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Namibia.

We synthesize implementation bottlenecks experienced while implementing the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) program, an HIV prevention intervention for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), in Namibia from 2017 to 2019. Bottlenecks were organized into the following 4 AGYW program components. Enrollment was slowed by the time-intensive nature of screening and other baseline data collection requirements, delays in acquiring parental consent, and limited time for after-school activities. Solutions included obtaining advance consent and providing 1-stop service delivery and transportation assistance. We experienced difficulty identifying safe spaces for AGYW to meet. A lack of tailored curricula also impeded activities. Governments, stakeholders, and partners can plan ahead to help DREAMS identify appropriate safe spaces. Curricula should be identified and adapted before implementation. Uneven availability of government-provided commodities (e.g., condoms, preexposure prophylaxis [PrEP], family planning products) and lack of AGYW-centered PrEP delivery approaches impacted services. Better forecasting of commodity needs and government commitment to supply chain strengthening will help ensure adequate program stock. The availability of only centralized care following gender-based violence (GBV) and the limited number of government social workers to manage GBV cases constrained service provision. Triaging GBV cases-i.e., referring high-risk cases to government social workers and providing DREAMS-specific social services for other cases-can ensure proper caseload management. These bottlenecks highlight practical implementation issues and higher-level considerations for AGYW-centered HIV prevention programs. The critical need for multilayered programming for HIV/GBV prevention in AGYW cannot be addressed simply with additional funds but requires multilevel collaboration and forecasting. The urgency to achieve results must be balanced with the need for adequate implementation preparedness.

Gender-Based Violence in Kosovo during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract COVID-19 has exacerbated health inequalities around the world. Kosovo has so far experienced four waves of the pandemic with a fatality rate of 2.6 registered deaths per 100 cases which is higher than some comparable countries in the region. Women have been disproportionally affected in many spheres of life including their safety and security at home. While Gender-Based Violence (GBV) has been one of the major concerns for women’s safety over the years, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the situation. Drawing on the theory of GBV and intersectionality and using a mixed-method approach, this study examines whether GBV cases have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether government policies and responses during the COVID-19 pandemic have considered GBV implications. This study yields three main findings: First, the institutional data on reported cases show that GBV has increased significantly between 2010 to 2021. Similar trends of increase were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, the COVID-19 institutional actions towards the pandemic disproportionally considered the specific needs of the most vulnerable groups of the population including women. Third, violence against women is treated within the domestic violence domain which does not address entirely the nature of the gender-based violence in the country.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence and physical violence among women in Peru

Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) is an increasing social problem worldwide, but it has been neglected despite its high relevance to women’s health. In this study, we aim to assess the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impact on GBV incidence in Peruvian, determine the physical violence prevalence and its associated factors among GBV victims. Methods: We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the GBV weekly incidence by fitting an autoregressive integrated moving average model. Additionally, we assessed the physical violence prevalence and its associated factors by fitting a multivariate Poisson regression model with a link log and robust variance. Results: We analyzed 588,587 cases of women victims of GBV and calculated an annual GBV incidence of 518, 714, 958, 596, and 846 cases per 100,000 women during the years 2017-2021, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the observed GBV weekly incidence went significantly below the forecasted GBV weekly incidence since 2021. Overall, most GBV cases were of middle to high-risk (76%), regular (75%), and verbal (82%) violence. Most victims were single (81%), rural (75%), mothers with children (60%), who did not complete high school (54%). Most aggressors were men (81%), paid workers (77%), had completed high school education (63%), and partner of their victims (58%). Around 44% of the victims suffered physical violence and its main associated factors were aggressor’s school education (adjusted prevalence ratio = 0.89; 95% confidence interval: 0.88-0.89), aggressor’s age <40 years old (1.30; 1.29-1.30), aggressor’s paid job (0.99; 0.98-0.99), prior violence report (1.27; 1.26-1.27), victim’s age <40 years old (1.23; 1.22-1.24), and victim non-Peruvian citizenship (1.04; 1.01-1.07). Conclusions: GBV is endemic in Peru, but the COVID-19 pandemic reduced its burden significantly in 2020-2021. Several characteristics of the cases, victims, and aggressors have changed over time, offering new opportunities for implementing interventions to address this social problem.

Policing in patriarchy: An experimental evaluation of reforms to improve police responsiveness to women in India.

Gender-targeted police reforms are frequently proposed to tackle the global problem of rising yet under-reported gender-based violence (GBV)-but with mixed and often disappointing results. We explore this issue in India, a country with alarming rates of GBV and limited police capacity, by studying the impact of Women's Help Desks (WHDs): dedicated spaces for women in local police stations, staffed by trained officers. Drawing on the largest randomized controlled trial of a police reform to date (180 police stations serving 23.4 million people), we find that officers in stations with WHDs are more likely to register cases of GBV, particularly where female officers run the desks. This suggests that even in resource-constrained and patriarchal environments, police responsiveness can be improved by focusing and mainstreaming attention to women's cases and by greater gender representation within the police.

COVID-19 impact on gender-based violence among women in South Africa during lockdown: a narrative review.

COVID-19, first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, was declared a global pandemic by the WHO following the rapid spread of cases worldwide. The pandemic resulted in governments enforcing nationwide lockdowns, halting economic activities except for essential services. This review aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence (GBV) among women in South Africa. The literature search for this review was limited to African peer-reviewed articles and studies published in English between March 2020 and July 2021. EBSCOhost (PubMed, EBSCOhost, APA PsycArticles, APA PsychINFO, Academic Search Ultimate, Africa-Wide Information, Sociology Source Ultimate, CAB Abstracts, CINAHL with full text, and MEDLINE) electronic database platforms and the Google Scholar search engine and bibliographies of identified sources were used to identify studies that are included in the review. 82 studies were identified for this review and 18 were included in the synthesis. Multiple factors contributed to the surge in GBV cases in South Africa, including alcohol availability and consumption, job losses, financial dependence, psychological distress, and emotional imbalances. Effective intervention strategies are proposed, calling for more research to better understand women's experiences of GBV during the COVID-19 pandemic.

EXAMINING MEDIA RESPONSE TO GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN THE GAMBIA – THE CHALLENGES AND THE WAY FORWARD

Purpose: Communication support for any development idea utilizing all levels of communication (interpersonal, group and mass) is very vital. The mass media industry has an important role to play in eliminating undesirable practices from society. Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of such practices. This study set out to examine the role of the media in tackling the menace of GBV in The Gambia, the challenges faced and how the challenges could be addressed.
 Methodology : research methods of focus group and key informant interviews were adopted to determine the level to which the media had been proactive, the challenges they face and strategies for surmounting the challenges.
 Findings : Findings show that the years of authoritarian rule have instilled the attitude of complacency and into many media practitioners in The Gambia and they have not been able to develop their investigative skills. Even though the current regime is largely liberal, the media needs to cultivate a new culture of undaunted dynamism. Apart from giving coverage to the programmes of development agencies on GBV, the media does not give adequate attention to sensitising and educating the public on gender-based violence and is also wanting in the area of following up cases of GBV while cases of online GBV are not given the required attention
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy(recommendation): It was recommended that all available strategies be employed for the sensitisation and education of the public on GBV and media practitioners be empowered to adequately tackle GBV. Furthermore, media organizations must be encouraged to monitor online content so that they can respond to instances of GBV directed at people in The Gambia.

Gender-based violence and Women’s mobility, findings from a medium-sized Colombian city: A quantitative approach

Gendered mobility has attempted to understand the way in which mobility and gender are constantly shaped and built through travel choices, behaviors, and transport planning. This study sought to find a relationship between gender-based violence (sexual and street harassment and sexual abuse and assault) in mobility throughout Manizales, a medium-sized Colombian city, considering all modes of transport (walking, biking, driving private cars, motorcycles, and using public transit). Moreover, to measure the changes in travel choice and behaviors caused by violent incidents, a self-reported survey was designed and applied, through a mix of electronic and physical questionnaires, administered to users in Manizales. Furthermore, a chi-squared statistical test was conducted, so as to understand the relationships between variables, especially gender. Women reported higher incident rates of gender-based violence thana men, as experienced in modes of transport such as public transit, walking, and bike riding. Women also tended to use private modes of transport (cars, motorcycles, or taxicabs) because of gender-based violence incidents. Those incidents limit individuals’ rights to the city, as well as access to opportunities. If decision-makers want to implement successful, sustainable mobility projects, they must guarantee users' safety, as violent situations could boost changes in favor of private modes of transport, such as cars and motorcycles. Future investigations should consider minority groups, like LGBTIQ + communities, as they experience more dangerous cases of gender-based violence and discrimination in cities.

Gender-based violence experiences among Palestinian women during the COVID-19 pandemic: mental health professionals\u2019 perceptions and concerns

BackgroundIn a geopolitically at-risk environment, such as Palestine, gender-based violence (GBV) is still a crucial problem rooted in discriminatory laws and traditional habits exacerbated by the ongoing Israeli military occupation. Moreover, the lack of updated data makes it difficult to grasp the magnitude of the phenomenon entirely; the purpose of the current study was to explore mental health professionals’ perceptions and concerns on GBV among Palestinian women during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsParticipants in the study were 30 Mental Health Professionals (MHP) selected using convenience and snowball sampling techniques from among MHP in northern West Bank, Palestine.ResultsA thematic content analysis revealed seven main themes of GBV during the pandemic. Palestinian MHP reported that the increased number of GBV cases among women during the COVID-19, quarantine, physical distancing measures, and closure of non-essential services significantly heightened the risks of GBV among Palestinian women. Moreover, Palestinian women involved with or married to older men or married at a very young age were at risk of GBV more than others. Results of qualitative analysis also showed that Israeli occupation and the political violence characterizing the area for decades (including restriction of movement, house demolitions, separation of family members, etc.) have also exacerbated and increased GBV in the occupied Palestinian territories.ConclusionsImproving intervention skills and supervision services among Palestinian MHP to help women who face GBV is recommended. Moreover, additional research should be conducted to explore the risk and potential factors of GBV, agency, and coping strategies to deal with GBV.

Review of exponential rise in domestic violence amid COVID-19: theories and perspectives

The need for continuous research on domestic violence could be more espoused by the exponential increase in domestic violence, such that characterized the global reign of corona virus. Domestic violence cases have been on the rise in South Africa since 1994; and despite the existence of legal protections and statutory instruments that attempt to hinder domestic violence, there continues to be prevalence of violent behaviours across different families. Indisputably, the outbreak of coronavirus has created myriads of consequences for justice system in South Africa and the world at large. Due to the outbreak, the South African government announced a lockdown to mitigate the spread of the virus. Nonetheless, within a span of one week of the lockdown, the South African Police Services (SAPS) reported a shocking rise in the number of gender-based violence cases, which was approximately reported as 89000. The lockdown primarily suggests that victims be locked with the perpetrators for a period until it is deemed safe to end the lockdown. Using a systematic review of the empirical literature, the paper provides a quadripartite criminological perspective (comprising differential association theory, classical theory, frustration-aggression theory and social bond theory) on the rise of domestic violence during the outbreak of the virus. It further explores the aftermaths of COVID-19 on criminal justice system in terms of dealing with diverse cases of domestic violence in the Republic. Factors pertaining to issues of access to justice system during the lockdown, poor police response and victim reporting, sense of helplessness by victims, delayed justice, as well as victim support, system are significantly evaluated

Impact of COVID-19 on Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Services in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

BackgroundEpidemics and other complex emergencies historically have had a disproportionate impact on women and girls, increasing their vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV). The COVID-19 pandemic has been no different, with reports of rising cases of GBV emerging worldwide. Already a significant problem in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa, GBV in these countries has been exacerbated by government restrictions intended to contain the spread of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the availability of GBV prevention and response services from the perspective of the organizations that provide them.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey of people who work in GBV prevention and response in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa was administered from July to October 2020. A convenience sample was identified through web search, contacts of in-country consultants, and relevant listservs and technical working groups. Descriptive analyses were completed using SPSS.ResultsA total of 187 respondents completed the survey. Nearly all (98.9%) survey respondents reported that COVID-19 impacted their work. The majority (77.9%) stated that work decreased due to government restrictions or GBV services being deemed non-essential. The types of service most impacted were community-based prevention, shelters, and legal services. Survey respondents overwhelmingly agreed (99.3%) that COVID-19 impacted GBV prevalence and identified adolescents and women with disabilities as particularly vulnerable groups.ConclusionsGBV prevention and response services in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa were highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to government restrictions and the failure of governments to deem GBV services as essential. Preparedness for future crises should ensure that GBV is adequately prioritized in the initial response in order to maintain service availability with special attention paid to at-risk populations.