Assessment of Emergency and Protection Needs COVID-19 Situation
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Assessment of Emergency and Protection Needs COVID-19 Situation May 2020 CONTENTS 1 SUMMARY METHODOLOGY 2 BASIC NEEDS AND ECONOMIC INCLUSION 4 LEGAL PROTECTION 5 MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT 6 GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE 9 IMPACT ON WOMEN AND GIRLS FURTHER STEPS ACRONYMS EI - Economic Inclusion GBV - Gender-Based Violence MHPSS - Mental Health and Psychosocial Support RNA - Rapid Needs Assessment WASH - Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene SUMMARY HIAS is using the assessment findings to better meet these identified needs, pivoting and In April and May 2020, HIAS conducted a rapid designing programming accordingly. These needs assessment (RNA) across HIAS program findings also directly inform HIAS’ evidence-based locations in Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub- advocacy work. Saharan Africa, and Europe and the Mediterranean to collect information on the immediate and changing needs of displaced people around the METHODOLOGY world during this time of crisis.1 The information collected shows how the COVID-19 crisis has For each country covered in the assessment, caused a global decrease in ability to meet basic HIAS implemented a multi-source methodology needs, posed threats to legal protection, impacted that combines information from desk reviews mental health and resilience, and increased both conducted by HIAS’ country teams with direct the risks and incidence of GBV. While many of survey responses from people accessing HIAS these needs pre-date the COVID-19 situation, the services across all program locations. Over current crisis has further compounded needs in the 750 people provided direct responses, which following broad categories: were disaggregated by age, gender, location, and vulnerability. Assessment teams worked to • Safe, flexible options for meeting basic needs ensure that assessment responses represented the (including food, shelter, health care, and diversity of viewpoints and experiences within WASH), and clear, accessible information on each community that HIAS serves, including where to go for support. women and girls at risk, elderly people, people • Economic inclusion support that mitigates the experiencing extreme poverty, people living with protection risks posed by widespread loss of disabilities, and LGBTQ populations. While HIAS employment, employment security, and overall programming actively reaches out to and serves household income. people of all ages, the majority of assessment • Legal protection programming that both respondents (88%) were adults aged 18-59. In secures legal status and ensures effective access many locations, this reflects how the COVID-19 to rights. crisis has impacted communication with displaced • MHPSS interventions that address acute and communities, as adults of working age are increased distress levels, support continued most likely to have access to communication community connection through various technologies. Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 platforms, address stress and isolation due to crisis, HIAS specifically ensured that the voices the COVID-19 situation, and increase basic of women and girls were represented across all psychosocial skills such as healthy coping contexts, and about 66% of respondents identified mechanisms. as female, 33% identified as male, and 1% identified • GBV prevention and response programming as another gender. In all areas, the assessment that reduces risks for women and girls during methodology aligned with HIAS’ commitment physical lockdown, strengthens women’s self- to putting displaced people and vulnerable host reliance, and protects children and adolescent communities at the center of emergency response girls from sexual violence. and programming. 1 Locations contributing information to the rapid needs assessment include HIAS offices in Aruba, Chad, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Greece, Guyana, Israel, Kenya, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. hias.org 1 BASIC NEEDS AND • Access to shelter: delaying rent payments ECONOMIC INCLUSION to landlords, sometimes entering into short- term informal understandings or credit Across all HIAS locations, displaced people and arrangements; not paying utilities in order to vulnerable host communities reported that their pay rent ability to meet basic needs has decreased due to • Access to WASH: purchasing only the most the COVID-19 situation, with over 70% of people basic cleaning supplies and/or going without reporting that they can no longer meet their cleaning supplies and protective items, and in basic needs for food (compared to about 15% some locations potable/running water entirely before the COVID-19 situation).2 Similarly, over • Access to health care: selling items in order to 60% of people are no longer able to meet their buy medicine, staying home rather than seeking basic needs for shelter, and many face housing care, using over-the-counter medicine. insecurity and eviction. Over 60% are no longer able to access basic WASH resources, especially Income loss. Across all locations, people reported hygiene products and protective equipment. In widespread loss of income from both formal and some contexts, particularly in camp and shelter informal employment. As many displaced people settings, even access to essential supplies, such have limited access to formal employment and as soap and clean water, is extremely limited. income due to their legal status and other policy and Although the majority of countries in which societal barriers, they are particularly vulnerable to HIAS works provide COVID-19-related health the economic impacts of the COVID-19 situation. care to refugees and asylum seekers, over 75% In some contexts, health care for non-COVID-19 of people report that they are no longer able to conditions is provided through employer-sponsored access health services, which highlights both coverage, limiting access for people who have lost the structural barriers to obtaining care and the their jobs, are not formally employed, or rely on an challenges of obtaining care for non-emergency adaptable set of income-earning activities, such as needs. street vending, casual jobs, or selling door-to-door. In addition to the financial impacts, this lack of formal Coping mechanisms. People surveyed reported a employment poses additional physical and health- variety of coping mechanisms, from relying on their related protection risks, as people risk COVID-19 neighbors and communities to selling household exposure in order to earn income. items to procure needed goods. While these coping mechanisms demonstrate resilience, most address “ Because the market is closed, my urgent short-term needs and are not sustainable daughter has not been able to run her over the long term. Many have an adverse impact small businesses to provide for our family on displaced individuals’ overall health and well- needs. We are panicking. ” being. These include the following: Displaced older woman living with disability, Chad • Access to food: eating fewer times per day (often only once or twice), purchasing the cheapest Even in communities where displaced people have food available, or seeking assistance from local been able to secure formal employment, most people organizations, municipalities, or NGOs. report that they have lost employment income due to the COVID-19 situation, as employers either 2 While the quantity and quality of food consumed may both vary and be interpreted differently across contexts, this question seeks to understand how basic access to food has changed since the COVID-19 situation began. Many people interviewed provided additional qualitative detail on changes in their specific consumption, including decreasing the frequency of meals to 1-2 times per day (depending on context) and/or purchasing the lowest-cost foods available. 2 RAPID ASSESSMENT OF EMERGENCY AND PROTECTION NEEDS | COVID-19 SITUATION 4 HIAS staff talk to a client about immediate needs, April 2020. (HIAS photo) hias.org 3 terminate workers or place them on leave without stress on caregivers, who are disproportionately pay. People who are self-employed, including female, women reported increased concerns entrepreneurs and business owners, report that they over obtaining health care for both themselves have experienced extreme financial setbacks. In the and their children. Both men and women across assessment, displaced people across all contexts contexts recognized the exceptional burden of and in all employment situations cited income COVID-19 on single mothers, especially those loss as their most pressing problem, from which all with infants and very young children. other challenges, such as difficulty securing food or • Food and income support: In contexts where shelter, increased tensions within households and government assistance is available, notably communities, and serious individual distress. Latin America and the Caribbean, both host communities and displaced communities generally have legal access to government- LEGAL PROTECTION provided support addressing the COVID-19 situation. However, people surveyed in some The rapid needs assessment highlighted the contexts report that displaced communities do connection between legal protection, including not always have effective access: food support both legal status and effective access to rights, and distributions may not actually occur in their ability to meet the basic needs above. Across all neighborhoods due to discrimination, or people locations, the following trends emerged: may not feel safe seeking assistance from local organizations or government out