This paper is stressing the importance of linking the responses of COVID-19 to Women, Peace and Security agenda. Women are at the frontline of facing the threat of COVID-19 pandemic. They are in a protective position of taking care of children and elderly in the community in comparison to their male counterparts.
This is due to the different care giving roles that women and girls play as well as pre-existing gender inequalities that exist in society of South Sudan. The COVID-19 pandemic stands to worsen women and girls’ already in dire situation in South Sudan where women are already playing a disproportionate role in responding to different diseases by being frontline healthcare workers, caretakers at home and community volunteers and mobilisers.
Investing strategically on combating COVID-19 pandemic with full commitment on building linkages with pillars of the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 is essential. Prioritization of prevention and protection of women including genuine women representation and participation in the efforts of combating COVID-19 should be taken serious by the South Sudan authorities at all levels.
The declared preventive measures by the national high-level taskforce on prevention of COVID-19 need to be gendered. All the stages of COVID-19 during and post requires take into account gender dimensions so that women prevention, protection, participation and recovery are effective considered by the various forms of responses to the threat of COVID-19. In the context of South Sudan which is post-conflict and a state with effective communal and inter-communal violence, it will be a grave mistake to deal with COVID-19 without gender lens.