COVID-19: How to Include Marginalized and Vulnerable People in Risk Communication and Community Engagement

"Tailoring community engagement interventions for gender, language, and local culture improves communities' uptake with interventions..."

This resource addresses the questions: Why include a protection, gender, and inclusion lens in risk communication and community engagement (RCCE)? What have we learned about protection, gender, inclusion, and RCCE in other epidemics? It was developed in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, which was predicted to have significant impacts on marginalised people, who become even more vulnerable in emergencies. This is due to factors such as their inadequate access to social services or political influence, their limited capacities and opportunities to cope and adapt, and their limited or no access to technologies and health services.

For each vulnerable group considered, the resource lists the rationale for focusing on that particular group, as well as options for RCCE actions for that group.

• Children - Example RCCE action: Advocate to ensure that government and other stakeholders prioritise the information and communication needs of children and adolescents, considering different needs based on factors such as gender and context.
• Persons with disabilities - Example RCCE action: Involve organisations of persons with disabilities in consultation and decision making about, for example, the creation of information in accessible formats (e.g., text captioning or signed videos, text captioning for hearing impaired, online materials for people who use assistive technology).
• Women and girls - Example RCCE action: Ensure that community engagement teams are gender-balanced and promote women's leadership within these, that frontline medical personnel are gender-balanced, and that health facilities are culturally and gender sensitive.
• Pregnant women - Example RCCE action: Develop education materials for pregnant women (e.g., on how and where to seek care based on their questions and concerns), translate these materials into local languages, and adapt them to the local context.
• People living with HIV - Example RCCE action: Ensure access to information on specific needs based on their feedback, including up-to-date information regarding where and how to access antiretrovirals (ARVs).
• Gender-based violence (GBV) survivors - Example RCCE action: Update GBV referral pathways to reflect primary and secondary health care facilities, and inform key communities and service providers about the updated pathways.
• Refugees and migrants - Example RCCE action: Include refugees and migrants in all national, provincial, and local contingency, prevention, and response plans and interventions.
• Elderly persons - Example RCCE action: Develop specific messages to explain the risk for elderly and how to care for them, especially in homecare.
• People living in existing humanitarian emergencies - Example RCCE action: Ensure translation of key messages and materials to the languages people understand, and use continued feedback to adapt messages to the evolving situation.
• People with preexisting medical conditions - Example RCCE action: Develop information on specific needs and explain why they are at more risk.
• Sexual and gender minorities - Example RCCE action: Develop Q&As/FAQs in consultation with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer/questioning (LGBTIQ) community that respond to their specific vulnerabilities and concerns.
• Ethnic minorities - Example RCCE action: Give individuals opportunities to share their questions and concerns in their own language.

The resource also maps out key protection, gender, and inclusion actions for RCCE, such as:

• Ensure that rapid community engagement assessments collect sex and age disaggregated data to allow for targeted RCCE activities for vulnerable populations.
• Ensure that assessment teams represent the communities they serve.
• Involve vulnerable groups in community engagement work, including for social and behavioural change.
• Ensure radio shows and communication materials do not reinforce gender or other stereotypes.
• Plan community engagement initiatives so that leadership and roles of vulnerable people are visible, and promote the full participation of women at all levels.
• Ensure all lessons learnt exercises and after-action reviews include targeted questions that are based on the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Gender Accountability Framework, Inter-Agency GBV Accountability Framework, and Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.
• ...and more...