An Ethical Concern on Gender-Based Violence against Women and Girls in Africa during COVID-19 Lockdown

Activists, journalists and the United Nations (UN) have drawn attention to the rising level of gender-based violence (GBV) against women and girls across the globe during the coronavirus pandemic. It is on this note that we undertake to look critically into the matter with a view of assessing the moral implications of such violence, with special attention to African nations. Adopting Kantian moral philosophy, which emphasizes that we should not treat human being as a means to an end but as an end itself, the paper condemns the actions of the culprits, and government responses both to the pandemic and reported cases of gender-based violence, without adequate attention to the plight of female folk. The paper also makes various recommendations and suggestions on how to handle such pandemic without keeping women and girls vulnerable to sexual based violence. Concerning the nature of the topic, a qualitative method of research is applied, using survey, phenomenology, critical analysis and review of library materials.