"COVID-19 has a specifically different impact on women. With schools shutting down, many single mothers are forced to find childcare or rely on family members. This can also cause women to take sick days if their children become sick. In addition, women who hold jobs that have less protections are therefore more likely to be laid off without the ability to work from home. Women make up 92% of the nurses in hospitals, hence becoming more likely to be exposed to the virus than males. Without reliable child care, women are forced to stay home without the ability to work and are put in financial distress." |
"Gender is often removed from the discussions when governments focus on responding to disease/virus outbreaks. This is a mistake especially because women make up 70% of the workforce. “It is crucial that these health workers are trained, resourced, and equipped, which means filling global shortages in protective gear like medical masks and gloves, so that they and their patients are adequately protected." |
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"The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights also claimed that: “The right to health is closely related to and dependent upon the realization of other human rights, as contained in the International Bill of Rights, including the rights to food, housing, work, education, human dignity, life, non-discrimination, equality, the prohibition against torture, privacy, access to information, and the freedoms of association, assembly and movement. These and other rights and freedoms address integral components of the right to health.” |
"The pandemic has had a range of serious consequences for cis and trans women everywhere — including the higher risks they face as a result of their traditional roles as carers, the rise in domestic violence, and their lack of decision making power in their own sexual and reproductive health." |
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“Organizations that work with victims of gender violence expressed their concerns . . . since they understand that during this period there could be a rebound in these cases [domestic violence]." |
Due to the increased vulnerability within the LGBTQ community this article highlights relevant resources to those affected. These sources are for people living with and those affected by HIV/AIDS, people living with and those affected by liver disease, including Hepatitis, people living with and those affected by cancer, the African-American community, and the Latinx community. |
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has forced shelters across the world to rethink how services, like food banks, will continue to deliver resources to vulnerable populations. Social agencies are facing the obstacle of accommodating a great number of people to shelters and at the same time offering food to individuals who need it without compromising one’s health. These humanitarian services are essentials, however not everyone has equal access to such needs without risking their health. A 24/7 Distress Center Calgary has also been launched to assist people with managing their anxiety that is bred from the pandemic's social and economic effects. |