This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
As the world marks the Day of the African Child, a disturbing trend has emerged in Mombasa County, where 15 school-going girls as young as 13 years old have been impregnated and some married off since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020.
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. The cases are concentrated in Kisauni, with villages such as Vikwathani, Utange, and Mwakirunge being identified as hotspots.
Nzenge attributed the rise in cases to families hard hit by the pandemic and with no source of income, who have been trading off their girls to well-off people as wives. He noted that in most cases, the culprits are people known to the victims.
The county office has embarked on a community sensitisation campaign to enlighten girls and the society on the need to ensure the rights of all children are protected. Nzenge warned that the statistics of the past three months are alarming and that they are working closely with police to ensure culprits face the law.
A World Vision report has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic could put an extra 4 million girls at risk of early and forced marriage. The report states that deepening poverty caused by the pandemic is likely to add further financial burdens to families, causing them to marry off their daughters early.
