Covid-19 responsible for a third of violence committed against caregivers around the world

Insults, beatings, arrests: health workers found themselves on the front line for two reasons in 2020, in the face of the coronavirus and in the face of violence.

The Coalition for the Safeguarding of Health in Conflict (CSSC), an NGO for the defense of caregivers, presented a report on Tuesday that lists 1,172 acts of violence and attacks against people or health facilities last year in the world, "a minimum estimate" according to the organization.

Of this number, 412, or more than a third, directly concern Covid-19.

In Mexico, a nurse was attacked and injured by a group who accused her of spreading the virus.

In Dakar, Senegal, three social workers were stabbed with stones by residents who refused to have a coronavirus victim buried near their homes.

In Birmingham (Great Britain), a caregiver was the target of spitting and insults from one of her neighbors.

We also remember these caregivers, in France, who received words asking them to go into exile when they were not on call, at the start of the epidemic.

Then of these attacks for a mask not or badly worn.

Bombing of hospitals, kidnapping of doctors ...

Insecurity Insight, which is a member of the CSSC and collected the data concerning these acts of violence, also identified 802 attacks in countries at war or theaters of civil conflict: bombing of hospitals in Yemen, kidnapping of doctors in Nigeria or destruction. of hydroalcoholic gel vials in an attack blamed on English-speaking separatist fighters in Cameroon.

“The map shows that violence and bullying against healthcare workers was truly a global crisis in 2020, with 79 countries affected,” Christina Wille, director of Insecurity Insight, said in a statement.

Leonard Rubenstein, founding president of the CSSC and professor at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, called on governments around the world to protect their caregivers, including by combating disinformation and ensuring that perpetrators of violence are punished.

Last August, the International Red Cross was also concerned about the violence and stigmatization suffered by caregivers, and called to fight against their main cause: disinformation creating fear.

Proof that the equation is not resolved: in 80% of cases, the perpetrators of violence are civilians.

But the threat also sometimes emanates from the public authorities.

In Egypt, caregivers who criticized the regime's handling of the pandemic were arrested by the security services, accused of spreading false information and belonging to a terrorist group.