Gender-based violence during COVID-19 lockdown: case study of a community in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: Gender-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. Objective: To examine the exposure of females to GBV during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 lockdown. Method: This 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. Results: The 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. Conclusion: The 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.

School water, sanitation, and hygiene inequalities: a bane of sustainable development goal six in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: The importance of school water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal targets 6.1 and 6.2 in developing countries cannot be overemphasized. However, widespread WASH inequalities remain an impediment to achieving the targets by 2030. Hence, this study was conducted to examine current school-WASH disparities among public and private schools in a low-income Nigerian community using mixed methods. METHODS: The cross-sectional survey utilized multi-stage sampling to select 400 students from five public and five private schools in Akinyele, Ibadan. Semi-structured questionnaires and observational checklists were used to obtain data. Inferential statistics were measured at a 95% confidence interval. Independent variables like the students' sociodemographic characteristics, school type, and available WASH facilities were associated with dependent variables like respondents' hand hygiene and sanitation practices and WASH-associated knowledge and attitude to examine existing inequalities. RESULTS: Classifying the available WASH facilities based on the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, none of the public schools provided any sanitation and hygiene service, while all the private schools provided both services. Furthermore, the private-school students had significantly better WASH knowledge (p<0.001; È 2p=0.152) and attitude (p<0.001; È 2p=0.036) compared with the public-school students. Also, a significantly higher portion of public-school students practiced open defecation at school (p<0.001; odds ratio (OR)=7.4; confidence interval (CI)=4.1-13.5) and at home (p<0.001; OR=7.8; CI=3.7-16.7). CONCLUSION: WASH disparities among socioeconomic groups remain a persistent challenge. Sole reliance on the Government to narrow the inequalities has persistently proven unfruitful. There is a need to empower local community stakeholders to facilitate sustainable school-WASH interventions.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: On ne saurait trop insister sur l'importance de l'eau, de l'assainissement et de l'hygiène (WASH) dans les écoles pour atteindre les cibles 6,1 et 6,2 des objectifs de développement durable dans les pays en développement. Toutefois, les inégalités généralisées en matière de WASH demeurent un obstacle à la réalisation des objectifs d'ici à 2030. Par conséquent, cette étude a été menée pour examiner les disparités actuelles entre les écoles publiques et privées dans une communauté nigériane à faible revenu en utilisant des méthodes mixtes. MéTHODES: L'enquête transversale a utilisé un échantillonnage à plusieurs étapes pour sélectionner 400 élèves de cinq écoles publiques et cinq écoles privées à Akinyele, Ibadan. Des questionnaires semi-structurés et des listes de contrôle observationnelles ont été utilisés pour obtenir des données. Les statistiques inférentielles ont été mesurées à un intervalle de confiance de 95 %. Des variables indépendantes comme les caractéristiques sociodémographiques des élèves, le type d'école et les installations de WASH disponibles ont été associées à des variables dépendantes comme les pratiques d'hygiène des mains et d'assainissement des répondants et les connaissances et l'attitude associées au WASH pour examiner les inégalités existantes. RéSULTATS: Si l'on classe les installations WASH disponibles sur la base du Programme commun OMS/UNICEF de suivi, aucune des écoles publiques ne fournit les services d'assainissement et d'hygiène, alors que toutes les écoles privées fournissent ces deux services. En outre, les élèves des écoles privées avaient une connaissance nettement meilleure de WASH (p<0,001; È 2p=0,152) et attitude (p<0,001; È 2p=0,036) par rapport aux élèves des écoles publiques. De plus, une proportion significativement plus élevée d'élèves des écoles publiques pratiquaient la défécation en plein air à l'école (p<0,001; rapport de cotes (RC)=7,4; intervalle de confiance (IC)=4,1­13,5) et à domicile (p<0,001; OR=7,8; IC=3,7­16,7). CONCLUSION: Les disparités WASH entre les groupes socio-économiques demeurent un problème persistant. Le fait de compter uniquement sur le gouvernement pour réduire les inégalités s'est toujours avéré infructueux. Il est nécessaire de donner aux intervenants communautaires locaux les moyens de faciliter des interventions WASH durables en milieu scolaire.

Heavy metal analysis of drinking water supply, wastewater management, and human health risk assessment across secondary schools in Badagry coastal community, Lagos State, Nigeria.

This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate drinking water and wastewater management facilities, as well as the health risk associated with heavy metal contamination of available water sources among Badagry schools. According to Joint Monitoring Program classification, majority (60%) of the schools provided basic water service, 10% limited service, whereas 30% provided no service. Water quality parameters such as pH, Pb, Cr, Cd, and E. Coli count were above the permissible limits in both public and private schools. None of the schools had wastewater management facilities, thereby leading to ponding. Pb and Cr posed a carcinogenic risk to the consumers as they exceeded the permissible 10-5. Even though majority of the schools provided basic water service, the contamination of majority of the water sources and the absence of structured-drainage channels in all the schools was bothersome. Prompt intervention is required to safeguard and maintain the integrity of the students' health.

Gender-based violence during COVID-19 lockdown: case study of a community in Lagos, Nigeria

Background: Gender-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. Objective: To examine the exposure of females to GBV during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 lockdown. Method: This 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. Results: The 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. Conclusion: The 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.

School Sanitation-Related Psychosocial Stressors among Nigerian Students.

Psychosocial stressors are indicative of challenges associated with the social and environmental conditions an individual is subjected to. In a bid to clearly understand the present gaps in school sanitation, this cross-sectional study aimed to identify the sanitation-related psychosocial stressors experienced by students in a Nigerian peri-urban community and their associated impacts. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select 400 students from 10 schools. The students to toilet ratio were 1,521:0 and 1,510:0 for the public-school boys and girls, respectively, and 74:1 and 70:1 for the private-school boys and girls, respectively. Furthermore, public-school students had a significantly higher average stress level (P < 0.001, η2p = 0.071) and a significantly higher proportion of students experiencing school absenteeism (P < 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.7-8.2), missed classes (P < 0.001; OR = 5.8; CI = 2.8-12.0), long urine/fecal retention time (P < 0.001; OR = 2.9; CI = 1.8-4.7), open defecation practice (P < 0.001; OR = 4.2; CI = 2.5-7.1), and open defecation-related anxiety (P < 0.001; OR = 3.6; CI = 2.0-6.5). Moreover, the inability to practice menstrual hygiene management was significantly associated with student-reported monthly school absence among girls (P < 0.001; OR = 4.5; CI = 2.2-9.4). Overall, over 50% of the respondents had reportedly been subjected to at least 14 of the 17 stressors outlined. The most prevalent stressors identified were concerns about disease contraction, toilet cleanliness, toilet phobia, privacy, and assault/injury during open defecation/urination. In conclusion, results show that the absence of functional sanitation facilities purportedly has a grievous effect on the mental, physical, social, and academic well-being of the students. This was clearly seen among public-school students. Subsequent sanitation interventions need to be targeted at ameliorating identified stressors.