Drowning just below the surface: New IFRC research reveals magnitude of socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 pandemic

Women, people in urban areas and those on the move have been disproportionately and uniquely affected by the devastating socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is among the findings of new research published earlier this week by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The IFRC’s new research also shows the extent of the pandemic’s secondary consequences on communities and individuals, the local Red Cross said in a statement. This crisis has caused: increased unemployment and poverty; increased food insecurity; a higher vulnerability to violence; and a loss of education and reduced opportunities for children. It has also exacerbated mental health issues.

Francesco Rocca, President of the IFRC, said: “Our research shows what we have long suspected and feared, namely that the destructive secondary impacts of this pandemic have damaged the fabric of our society and will be felt for years, if not decades to come. People who were already vulnerable due to conflict, climate-change, and poverty have been pushed further towards the edge. And many people who were previously able to cope have become vulnerable, needing humanitarian support for the first time in their lives.”

The new research provides a global overview, with a special focus on 10 countries: Afghanistan, Colombia, El Salvador, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, The Philippines, Spain, South Africa and Turkey. Overall, women had more significant impacts on their income; were at greater risk of COVID-19 due to caregiving roles; more exposed to sexual and gender-based violence and experienced mental health impacts to a greater degree than men. In urban areas, poverty rates grew, in some cases at a faster pace than in rural areas. People on the move were more likely to lose jobs or have their hours cut during the pandemic and have been widely neglected by formal protection and safeguarding measures.

Furthermore, a lack of preparedness made it harder for countries to build a comprehensive response to what has simultaneously become a public health emergency, global economic shock, and political and social crisis.

“As frontline community responders, National Red Cross Red Crescent Societies around the globe have been able to bridge the gaps in this response. They have a deep knowledge of the inequalities that exist and of how they are perpetuated and are therefore among the best placed to help people to recover from the harms to their livelihoods, health and education. But to continue to do so they will need significant additional support: both financial and political,” Rocca continues.

The report also reveals that the world is on course for a wildly unequal recovery, depending on the efficacy and equity of vaccination programmes.

“We have consistently warned that the inequitable distribution of vaccines will not only allow for high levels of transmission to continue, but that this inequity will also hinder, prolong, or exacerbate the impacts of this pandemic. While we continue to allow profits to trump humanity and richer countries continue to monopolise doses, we will never be able to say that this pandemic is over.

“The world must open its eyes, take heed of what is happening around them and shift from words to action. If not, we face the risk that the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will be just as uneven and unjust as the impacts of the pandemic itself,” Rocca concludes.