The Covid Fund Deprives Women of its Support

The health crisis of the Coronavirus and the governmental measures undertaken to fight against its spread, including containment, have caused economic and social deterioration. This has led people to be concerned about the increase in violence, especially in domestic and family settings, as stated in the UN Women in Morocco report on violence against women during containment.

The report noted that economic violence suffered by women was evident, indicating that it is another weapon added to the aggressor’s arsenal in addition to physical, mental and sexual violence. On the other hand, the crisis of the pandemic has also caused an increase in violence in the digital space and institutional violence that women have revealed in their relationships with certain officials, related to law enforcement and social and family rejection.

The report stated that the Covid fund support measures of employees in the informal sector included a majority of men, who are automatically considered heads of families, yet 16% (19% in urban areas) of the families are taken care of by women. The report states that many women with RAMED were not able to benefit from this support, since it must be submitted to the head of the family (husband or father). In addition, women separated from their spouses without divorce have also been deprived, which proves, according to the report, on the one hand the failure of the fund to take into account the reality and diversity of families in Morocco, and on the other hand the neglect of the gender approach.

This study was carried out based on the reports of 19 women’s organizations active in the field of defending women’s rights and combating violence against women, after the listening centers continued their functions even during the confinement. These reports were completed by collecting data from the centers’ records through telephone calls.

The listening centers of these women’s organizations received almost 4800 calls, of which 2778 helped to gather complete data, because the calls did not allow the listeners to give the necessary information for the report.

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