Several celebrities are doing what they can to help those in need, making donations to various coronavirus relief efforts – but they haven’t stopped there.
As millions of people continue to stay home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus and flatten the curve, safer-at-home and shelter-in-place orders have, unfortunately, given rise to alarming secondary effects in vulnerable populations. Celebrities are using their platforms to shine the light on these pressing issues.
Angelina Jolie is sharing her concerns for the safety of children.
In an op-ed for Time, she raises the point that while children may be less susceptible to the virus, they are “especially vulnerable to so many of the secondary impacts of the pandemic on society,” saying abuse is more likely to happen during these times.
“Isolating a victim from family and friends is a well-known tactic of control by abusers, meaning that the social distancing that is necessary to stop COVID-19 is one that will inadvertently fuel a direct rise in trauma and suffering for vulnerable children,” she writes. “There are already reports of a surge in domestic violence around the world, including violent killings.”
She also brings up that school closures and isolating has cut off affected children from their support networks.
“It comes at a time when children are deprived of the very support networks that help them cope: from their trusted friends and teachers to after-school sports activities and visits to a beloved relative’s house that provide an escape from their abusive environment,” she writes.
“For many students, schools are a lifeline of opportunity as well as a shield offering protection — or at least a temporary reprieve — from violence, exploitation and other difficult circumstances, including sexual exploitation, forced marriage and child labor and domestic violence,” she continues.
With millions of people on lockdown, she points out that there are now “fewer adult eyes on their situation.”
She encourages people to “make a point of calling family or friends, particularly where we might have concerns that someone is vulnerable.”
She also suggests educating yourself on the signs of abuse, supporting local domestic violence centers, reading guides provided by The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, and reaching out to The Child Helpline Network for advice and help as needed.
“It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child,” she writes. “It will take an effort by the whole of our country to give children the protection and care they deserve.”
Jussie Smollett and Rihanna are also addressing the rise in domestic violence that’s been happening since the COVID-19 pandemic has forced families to stay indoors.
Jussie went on Instagram to talk about how the safe-at-home orders have, unfortunately, created unsafe domestic situations for some families. He announced his support of the Jenesse Center and Black AIDS Institute and encouraged others to do the same. He also vows to continue helping other COVID-19 relief causes as well.
Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation has also announced that they have partnered with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to help those affected by domestic violence as a result of the COVID-19 Safer at Home Order in Los Angeles.
“We’re joining forces with Twitter/Square CEO @Jack today by co-funding a $4.2 million grant to the #MayorsFundforLA to address the current crisis for domestic violence victims in Los Angeles as a result of the COVID-19 Safer at Home Order,” the foundation announced. “These funds will provide 10 weeks of support including shelter, meals and counseling for individuals and their children suffering from domestic violence at a time when shelters are full and incidents are on the rise.”
There are also those whose mental health have been affected, with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, isolation, domestic violence, grief, and more amid the pandemic.
Demi Lovato has pointed out that “so many have been left alone with their thoughts, their anxieties, their abusers – and are struggling with the uncertainty of these times.” She used her platform to help launch The Mental Health Fund, which will support four organizations dedicated to crisis counseling via text message.
“It’s so important that people have these lines because sometimes you feel really alone and you don’t know where to turn or who to talk to,” Demi shared. “You’re afraid that these thoughts you’re having are too dark, and you need guidance. That’s where this comes in. It can provide help to people who are struggling.”
She adds, “Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength. Oftentimes our society tells us that if we ask for help, we are weak,” she says. “But the strongest thing someone can do is take that first step in getting help, whatever shape or form that is.”
With millions forced to stay home, children who rely on school lunch programs, low-income families, the elderly, individuals facing job disruptions and other vulnerable populations have been affected, with many struggling to get access to meals.
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, Stephen and Ayesha Curry, Ciara and Russell Wilson, Justin Timberlake, Vanessa Hudgens and more have previously announced making donations to various food banks across North America.
Leonardo DiCaprio has teamed up with Laurene Powell Jobs, Apple, and the Ford Foundation have committed $12 Million to launch America’s Food Fund – an initiative to address the issue of food access in the United States. Hosted by GoFundMe, it will provide funding relief to World Central Kitchen (WCK) and Feeding America.
Oprah Winfrey has pledged $1 Million in support for the cause, and another $9 Million “to help Americans during this pandemic in cities across the country and in areas where I grew up,” making a total of $10 Million in donation.
Lady Gaga has also pledged to donate 20% of Haus Labs profits to Los Angeles and New York food banks, as well as contributed to Leo’s America’s Food Fund initiative. She also partnered with Global Citizen, World Health Organization and United Nation, for the One World: Together At Home special to raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts.
On a global scale, the head of the United Nations food agency warns that the world is also “on the brink of a hunger pandemic” that could lead to “multiple famines of biblical proportions” as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic.
Even before COVID-19 became an issue, World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley told the world leaders of the U.N. Security Council that “2020 would be facing the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II” – due to ongoing wars and conflicts, economic crises and natural disasters.
About 821 million people around the world already go to bed hungry every night. As lockdowns and economic recession are expected to lead to major income losses for the working poor, a new World Food Program analysis shows that an additional 130 million people “could be pushed to the brink of starvation by the end of 2020” as a result of COVID-19.
“There is also a real danger that more people could potentially die from the economic impact of COVID-19 than from the virus itself,” the WFP chief said.
“The truth is, we do not have time on our side, so let’s act wisely — and let’s act fast,” Director Beasley said. “I do believe that with our expertise and partnerships, we can bring together the teams and the programs necessary to make certain the COVID-19 pandemic does not become a humanitarian and food crisis catastrophe.”
Easing shutdowns has been a hot topic, with many countries’ economies — including the U.S. – hit hard as economic output is stalled. Big companies and small businesses are already struggling with massive losses, and millions of people have been forced out of work.
The WHO has issued guidelines for governments on lifting the restrictions:
- Disease transmission is under control
- Health systems are able to “detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact”
- Hot spot risks are minimized in vulnerable places, such as nursing homes
- Schools, workplaces and other essential places have established preventive measures
- The risk of importing new cases “can be managed”
- Communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to live under a new normal
“One of the main things we’ve learned in the past months about COVID-19 is that the faster all cases are found, tested, isolated & care for, the harder we make it for the virus to spread,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said via Twitter as the guideline was released. “This principle will save lives & mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic.”
Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s emergencies program, also addressed the issue at a briefing. “You can’t replace lockdown with nothing,” he says, “We are going to have to change our behaviors for the foreseeable future.”
“Health workers are going to have to continue to have protective equipment and we’re going to have to continue to have intensive care beds on standby, because as we come out of these lockdown situations, we may see a jump back up in cases,” he added.
He also stresses the importance of individuals being well-informed and committed as governments taper restrictions in order to avoid a cycle of new COVID-19 outbreaks.
