Measures of violence against women and girls (VAWG) are widely collected in surveys, yet estimates are acknowledged to be lower-bounds of the true prevalence. Disclosure may be affected by numerous factors, including shame and stigma, fear of retaliation, distrust of interviewers or desire to keep the perpetrator's identity confidential. We conduct a survey experiment randomly assigning approximately 3,400 women and girls aged 15 to 35 to either face-to-face interviews or audio computer-assisted self interviews (ACASI). Results show participants in the ACASI group report higher prevalence of lifetime intimate partner violence by 4 to 7 percentage points compared to face-to-face interviews. Differences in reporting for non-partner VAWG are even larger, ranging from 6 to 12 percentage points for physical violence and sexual harassment, respectively. We test for correlates of characteristics which might lead to increased disclosure, however, we find few notable patterns. Our results suggest that ACASI surveys are a promising way to encourage disclosure, but acknowledge trade-offs that include limits in the complexity of questions that can be asked and higher time costs associated with development and implementation of surveys.

Edutainment shows promise in changing behavior at scale, yet little is known about how to maximize impacts. We undertake an experimental evaluation of a popular television series, C’est la vie!, delivered through film clubs in rural Senegal, on violence against women and girls, and sexual and reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. We find C’est la vie! improved knowledge three months after film clubs ended, as well as violence-related attitudes nine months later, however, find no impacts on behaviors. We investigate design components intended to strengthen impacts, generally finding no additional impacts from post-screening discussions, engaging men, and podcasts.

Senegal reported its first case of COVID-19 on March 2, 2020. The government responded within two weeks, introducing preventive measures to slow the spread of the virus, including the declaration of a public health emergency, border closures, and the prohibition of intercity travel and gatherings. These measures also slowed economic activity throughout the country and disrupted food supply chains and markets, contributing to loss of livelihoods, income, and households’ purchasing power. Evidence suggests that globally, women have been hit harder by the COVID-19 crisis, in particular with respect to impacts on economic security, health, education, and increased caretaking responsibilities in the household.

Wasting is a persistent public health problem affecting 45 million children under five years of age worldwide. Wasting is responsible for the deaths of 875,000 children under the age of five every year. Children who survive often suffer from long-term cognitive and physical disabilities UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank 2021; Black et al. 2013). Member countries of the World Health Assembly (WHA) have agreed to reduce and maintain the prevalence of wasting to less than 5 percent by 2025. Most Sahelian countries are off track to meet the WHA targets and in Chad, the prevalence of wasting is still unacceptably high at 14 percent and shows large regional disparities (UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank 2020). While both wasting prevention and treatment programs hold the potential to reduce child wasting, substantial synergies can be expected when prevention is integrated with screening, referral, and treatment services. Such integration should happen at the community level to maximize the accessibility of services for caregivers and their children.

Le Sénégal a signalé son premier cas de COVID-19 le 2 mars 2020, déclenchant ainsi, deux semaines plus tard, l’instauration de mesures barrières par le gouvernement pour ralentir la propagation du virus. Parmi celles-ci figurent, entre autres, l’état d’urgence sanitaire, la fermeture des frontières et l’interdiction des déplacements interurbains et des rassemblements. Ces mesures ont eu pour effet de ralentir les activités économiques sur l’étendue du territoire national, perturbant ainsi les chaînes d’approvisionnement alimentaire et les marchés, contribuant à la perte de moyens de subsistance, de sources de revenus et de pouvoir d’achat des ménages. Par ailleurs, les preuves suggèrent qu’au niveau mondial, les femmes ont été davantage frappées par la crise de la COVID-19, en particulier par rapport à leur sécurité économique, santé, éducation et par rapport à leurs responsabilités au sein du ménage.