The Lid is On

As the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, in developing countries it’s rural girls who are proving to be the most vulnerable to abuse during economic collapse and lockdown.

That’s the view of a young woman activist from Uganda, Zahara, who in this special edition of our Lid is On podcast, hosted by the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, joins the agency’s chief Natalia Kanem, plus leading child rights NGO, Plan International’s AB Albrectsen, in conversation to talk about the challenges facing women and girls during this unprecedented health crisis.

While many in the developed world are home schooling via Zoom and other online tools these days, in South Sudan, it’s old-fashioned radio that’s proving the best way to keep children on track with schoolwork.

The country is still recovering from a brutal, seven-year civil war, in which hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed. The UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, has a mandate to protect civilians and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, that includes providing advice on limiting the spread of the virus.