• Ojima Zechariah Wada, David Bamidele Olawade, Aminat Opeyemi Amusa, Jedidah Oluwadamisi Moses, and Glory Jessica Eteng.
• Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar.
• Afr Health Sci. 2022 Jun 1; 22 (2): 798779-87.

BackgroundGender-based violence (GBV) has been identified to be one of the ripple effects of the global pandemic. In countries like Nigeria, the situation is hypothesized to be worse because of widespread poverty and gender inequalities.ObjectiveTo examine the exposure of females to GBV during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 lockdown.MethodThis cross-sectional study was conducted in a low-income community in Lagos. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 130 respondents selected via systematic random sampling.ResultsThe mean age of the respondents was 26.89 ± 8.67 years. Majority worked informal jobs, while only 50% had attained beyond primary education. Within the period, the respondents had been subjected to sexual (54.6%), physical (52.3%), verbal assault (41.5%), and online sexual harassment (45.4%); of which only 30% reported to the police. Furthermore, respondents subjected to sexual (p=0.004) and physical assault (p=0.032) during the period earned significantly less money than other respondents.ConclusionThe fact that over 1 out of every 2 females was subjected to at least one form of GBV within the short timeframe shows how unsafe girls and women in low-income communities are. This calls for proactive community-level interventions to curb the GBV menace.© 2022 Wada OZ et al.

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