The children’s department in Naivasha, Kenya has revealed that the community ranked among the top five areas with child abuse.
While disclosing that Covid-19 pandemic is a major attribute of the issue at hand as more than 2,000 cases of child neglect reported in the past year.
The rise has been attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw tens of workers lose their jobs and sources of income.
Subcounty children’s officer John Chege said:
“The department has recorded more than 180 child sex abuses cases in the past one year, with the acts being perpetrated by well-known persons including step-fathers and close relatives,” he said.
The official said the cases spiked during the pandemic as children were removed from school related activities and left vulnerable to their abusers in homes and neighbourhoods.
He, however, said the department had assisted the assaulted children by linking them to health facilities and working with police to pursue abusers.
“The increase in these cases can be attributed to economic hardship brought by the pandemic, which saw some workers in the flower and hotel industry lose their jobs,” Chege said.
