This archive report was first published on 29 June 2020.
On June 16, the Day of the African Child, two prominent rights groups in Kenya sounded the alarm on the government's handling of child welfare during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and the Joining Forces Alliance for Children, an umbrella body for children's rights organizations, expressed concern over the lack of guidelines for handling violence against minors.
According to Dr. Bernard Mogesa, CEO of KNCHR, 'children's rights must be at the centre of the Covid-19 response mechanisms.' The groups had previously put the government on notice, urging it to enact the Children Bill 2019, which has been delayed.
Child Fund-Kenya director Chege Ngugi noted that there is a 'lack of clear measures to enhance access to justice for children during this pandemic,' resulting in a 'broken child justice chain link' in handling child protection cases.
Plan International Kenya director Ms. Kate Maina-Vorley added that weak coordination of child protection service providers has led to low public sensitization and unclear reporting mechanisms for child rights violations.
Save the Children Kenya country director Wang Le emphasized the need for clear indicators to target and support vulnerable children, including those with disabilities, street children, and child migrants.
