This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
Coastal regions have witnessed a disturbing trend of teenage pregnancies and early marriages since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March. According to Philip Nzenge, County Children Coordinator, his office has documented 15 cases of girls from the age of 13 to 17 falling pregnant and some married off in Kisauni, Mombasa County.
"Families hard hit by the pandemic and with no source of income have been trading off their girls to some well-off people as wives," Nzenge said during an interview with The Standard in March 2020.
Reports have revealed that some of the girls were impregnated by relatives, and the county office has emphasized that teachers are not to blame for the pregnancies. Nzenge's office is working closely with the ministries of Interior and Health, stakeholders, and the county government to embark on a community sensitisation campaign to protect the rights of all children.
"A five-day sensitisation campaign dubbed Sauti Ya Kilio will seek to provide answers to this vice that is now a great concern," Nzenge said. The official warned that the statistics of the past three months were alarming, and the culprits are people known to the victims.
According to a World Vision report, the coronavirus pandemic could put an extra 4 million girls at risk of early and forced marriage in the next two years. Child rights activists have warned that the crisis could undo decades of work to end the practice of child marriage.
