By Winnie Kabintie

A 16-year-old girl in Bungoma County is nursing injuries after her father burnt her private parts with an iron box for allegedly having a boyfriend.

The father of the form two student is said to have descended on her after villagers reported that the girl had a relationship with a boy in the village.

According to the victim, the father locked her up in the house, tied her hands and legs, covered her mouth and beat her up before burning her private parts with a hot iron box.

According to the mother of the 16-year, she was not at home when the incident occurred and only learned of it when the daughter complained to her that she was hurting and needed medical help.

The man went into hiding and the police are looking for him.

Violence Against Children on the Rise During Lockdown

Cases of violence against children have been on the rise during the lockdown occasioned by Covid-19.

The body of a form four student in Kiambu county, who had been reported missing was on Monday found in a shamba in Rusengeti Village. She had reportedly been raped and her eyes gorged out.

Fifty-eight child abuse cases were registered in the first week of June 2020, raising the total reported cases since the first case of coronavirus was reported in Kenya to 329 according to data from 116 helpline by Childline Kenya.

Physical violence against children is the most reported form of abuse against children followed by defilement and child neglect.

According to the 2019 Violence Against Children (VAC) Report, violence significantly affects the mental health of children.

The government launched the National Prevention and Response Plan on Violence against Children 2019 – 2023, but going by the rising cases, a lot needs to be done to improve on the country’s response in protecting youth and children during the #COVID19 pandemic.