Rights group West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP) said in a report that the upsurge in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) owing to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was a concern in The Gambia.
WANEP Gambia released its findings on the impact of COVID-19 on human security and social cohesion in The Gambia.
The report said “as COVID-19 deepens gender inequalities, women and girls are disproportionately affected by adverse effects of the pandemic”.
“A clear example was an incident around the Serrekunda West Football field, about 10km outside Banjul, where a few female sex workers used to gather before the pandemic to engage in the sex trade.
“Recently, however, due to the closure of the small-sized business, this number has dramatically increased. These women and girls were attacked by some youth in the neighbourhood that perceived the new-found trade as being immoral,” the report said.
The 11-page ‘COVID-19: Emerging Peace and Security Dynamics in The Gambia’ report addresses the deadly infection and its impact on governance, security, women, peace and the environment.
The report stated that sex workers found at night on the street nearby Serrekunda West Park were attacked by some youth in the neighbourhood that perceived the new-found trade as being immoral.