Women and girls bear the brunt of the Ebola outbreak in Congo

This was evident in the city of Bunia, the epicenter of the crisis, said Dr. Secheme Mongbo, UN Women The representative in Congo, spoke on Friday following his recent visit to the city.

“Women are not only present in health facilities as workers, but also in communities and homes where they care for the sick, give them food and water, and even participate in washing corpses and funeral activities,” she said, speaking from Kinshasa to journalists in Geneva.

The statistics are clear

According to Dr. Mongbo, the division of care and responsibilities at home is largely reflective Ebola transmission chain. It’s those situations, he said, that put women and girls at greatest risk.

Official data shows that more than 54 percent of confirmed Ebola patients in Congo are women. Girls make up 51 percent of the 10 to 17 year age group.

Dr Mongbo said the impact also spread to children, because when women are sick, their dependent children are directly affected.

“Women and girls are those who care for their children and siblings without personal protective equipment,” he said, explaining that they often continue to provide care even when someone is seriously ill.

Hopeless journey

One of the stories that touched Dr. Mongbo is the story of a woman who shares her fear of going to an Ebola treatment center.

The woman said that entering the medical facility “felt like one way trip – separated from her children and unsure if she will return home.”

This fear, according to Dr. Mongbo, exacerbated by stigma, possible abuse, exclusion from children as well as concerns for their own safety.

The women he met in Bunia also explained to him that they often put the health and safety of their children and families before their own lives.

Domestic deaths

Dr Mongbo said there was also the possibility of community deaths that may not be included in official Ebola statistics. “I heard stories about women who fell ill and died in their homes after some of them made statements asking for help but received no response,” he said.

Community members told him that “four women died at home in one day with no official record. And we can’t verify whether they then captured those numbers.”

He cited recent data showing that two-thirds of deaths reported in a 24-hour period occurred in the community, not in medical facilities.

This situation, he said, increases the risk that cases and deaths will not be handled properly and will not be included in official outbreak response statistics.

Turn off essential services

In addition to the risk of infection, the outbreak is also affecting access to essential health services for women.

Dr. Mongbo said women are increasingly losing opportunities to access reproductive and maternal health services, when access to these services was already limited before the outbreak occurred.

The problem is also exacerbated by decades of conflict, insecurity and poor road infrastructure that makes regular transportation to some areas difficult or even impossible.

Revenues and businesses took a hit

This outbreak also has an impact on women’s livelihoods.

According to Dr. Mongbo, women constitute the majority of traders in the affected areas. Travel restrictions and border closures – measures that may be crucial in controlling the outbreak – have left many women without their source of income.

Female traders told him that their daily income was reduced by between 20 and 30 dollars.

While that number may seem small, the reduction “leaves them unable to feed their families and children, making them even more vulnerable to health infections.”

Dr. Mongbo said women-led organizations played an important role in the Ebola response because they had built trust in communities over many years.

However, he said a UN Women study showed that 86 percent of women-led organizations surveyed said they had not received any funding for their Ebola responsewith nine out of 10 not involved in decision making.

Increase women’s participation

Dr. Mongbo said UN Women is supporting the Ebola response in Congo by ensuring the needs, risks and special capacities of women and girls are taken into account in efforts to contain the outbreak.

These steps include working with women leaders to raise awareness about Ebola and ways to protect themselves, increasing women’s participation in the response and preventing gender-based violence.

He said UN Women was ready to be launched comprehensive gender response strategy to Ebola Next Tuesday.

For Dr. Mongbo, the message from Bunia is clear: Women are not only Ebola survivors, but are also an important part of the solution, therefore, “women and their organizations are key to stopping the Ebola outbreak in Congo.”