Supporting vulnerable community members during lockdown

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United Nations research suggests that during the global COVID-19 pandemic some of the people in the community who already experience challenges accessing support are more likely to face increased difficulty or hardship. This includes women experiencing sexual and/or domestic violence and people living with disability.

Supporting women

The KIT partnership with Kiribati Women and Children Support Centre (KWCSC) has strengthened the Student Support Services (SSS) skills in counselling. This involves providing a safe environment for students to share their challenges and work through their social, emotional and mental health concerns. In particular, SSS can now offer counselling referrals for women who are experiencing domestic or sexual violence.

During lockdown, KWCSC are providing a 24 hour, 7 days a week hotline for all women who are experiencing violence. Call 191 if you need support.

Supporting people with disability

To support KIT students with disability, staff are previewing teaching materials now to better prepare their support for students upon return to campus. KIT is also working to provide learning materials to students with disability as early as possible to provide the time needed for students who require this kind of support to prepare for their study.

 

References:

UN, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 8 September 2021, ‘COVID-19 Outbreak and Persons with Disabilities’, accessed online on 9 February 2022 at https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/covid-19.html

UN Women ‘Measuring the shadow pandemic: Violence against women during COVID-19’, 24 November 2021, accessed online on 9 February 2022 at https://data.unwomen.org/publications/vaw-rga

 

 

 

 

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