DILI 09 September 2020 (TATOLI)– The United Nation Woman (UNW) has supported the project of a qualitative survey for economic empowerment of women during COVID-19 which has been established by the Rede Feto organisation with their partnership to Arquiris by granting $106.780.00 million.
“The funding comes from UN Women to the total of $106.780.00, the survey is set to understand gender positioning and the key impacts areas for female’s socio-economy, it will assess both the formal and informal sector. This should also influence political decisions of intervention to respond to the female socio-economy needs during the COVID-19 restrictions,” Judite Dias Ximenes, said at Obrigado Barak, Dili Press Conference.
She said the survey has collected data from 1400 female respondents aged 17 and above, from 12 municipalities and the RAEOA, the target of participants involved the small scale of female vendors, female with disabilities, widows, different sexual orientation, and females who experienced domestic violence and past crime.
Ms Ximenes said the survey results show the vulnerable females are very concerned about financial difficulties, especially those who are working as cleaners, shop keepers, restaurant staff, street food vendors, and other roles.
She said, the feedback from the respondents from Baucau District who is also a female vendor said, the State of Emergency is a challenging situation for her, it is such a war for her, while other feedback answers from a widowed female living with a disability street vendor said the State of Emergency causes her fear, sadness and anger as well.
Still, she said, the government has fulfilled its promised to provide a $200 of backdated payment for every household during the state of emergency.
Thus, the majority of them said the government subsidy had helped them to recover their basic needs.
Despite, Ms Ximenes added that severely vulnerable females have informed theirs complains that many of them are not yet able to access the government’s $200 of backdated payments as a result of miss information. And the majority of them are female with a disability, widow, vendors and the victim of domestic violence.
“The impact of COVID-19 has not ended, the organization of Rede Feto is advocating to the government to join the government politic, promote gender equality, and strengthen the rural economy of female, and this need to identify the vulnerable female in the family that needs to take care and to responds to their needs,” she said.
Journalist: Osória Marques
Editor: Cancio Ximenes
