ICT Services and Gender-based Violence in Ethiopia : A Study of Four Organisations’ Implementation of ICT Services During the “Shadow Pandemic” of COVID-19

Abstract: The term “shadow pandemic” arose along with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic globally, referring to the parallel increase of gender-based violence (GBV) as a result of lockdowns, preventive measures and economic hardships in almost every nation worldwide, including Ethiopia, with one of the highest rates of GBV in the world. With limited physical access to essential services and support, information and communication(ICT) services became an important factor to rely on. Based on interviews with four Ethiopian organisations working with women’s health and rights, this study investigates how ICT services were implemented to support victims of GBV during COVID-19 in Ethiopia, including the facilitators and barriers to using these services for women seeking support and information. The study finds that all four organisations either created new or scaled up existing ICT services during COVID-19. The ICT services provided by the organisations were mainly telephone helplines, while interactive voice response services and mobile chat applications were also provided as channels for support. The identified facilitators and barriers to using these ICT services were related to accessibility and technology, language and cultural traditions, and anonymity and security. While the use of ICT services for victims of GBV seems to be a functioning option for many when the access to in-person support is limited, barriers such as the lack and disruption of networks and telephones still pose a significant challenge for women in rural areas to use the support systems provided by the organisations. A postcolonial feminist approach to the findings highlights the need for a contextualisation of the services and the need to move away from simplistic assumptions that access to services automatically leads to active use and empowerment, and the need to work with an intersectional lens and multiple layers of analysis when battling sensitive issues like GBV in areas where harmful practices are part of longstanding cultural traditions, to ensure access and active use for groups in different contexts and areas throughout the country.