Many teenage girls ended up being sexually assaulted by their relatives or those close to them
Children and teenagers are the silent victims of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, with many facing sexual abuse, mental health issues, unresolved grief and the brunt of collapsed household incomes.
From the first lockdown in March last year, children faced many months at home as schools closed, a period which exposed many to domestic violence, child labour and increased anxieties.
Many teenage girls ended up being sexually assaulted by their relatives or those close to them, as they remained trapped in endless lockdowns, which increased cases of early pregnancies.
Some of these unfortunate experiences many girls pregnant, while boys who suffered domestic violence ended up on the street, this with the increase in household poverty led to a spike in the number of street children.
In order to minimise loss of academic time, the ministry of education together with schools and other agencies started facilitating students to study online, through TV or radio, many were not ready for, and found burdensome.
As coronavirus cases continued to surge and patterns of life altered, many children struggled to find their place in households, while others suffered culture shock while coping with restrictions of not being able to play as normal, social distancing, putting on masks and other safety protocols.
Children whose parents contracted the virus and had to be self-isolated or quarantined suffered emotionally and psychologically, while infants of lactating mothers who still needed close attention and breast feeding suffered major setbacks.
“When I tested positive the changes in life that followed took a huge toll on my children, I couldn’t take care of my little ones, ” said a mother who contracted the virus.
Venantie Uwishaka, a family therapist in Kigali, said the virus and all the ways it has disrupted life has le‑ a deep-seated psychological effect on children.
She said those who lost their parents or loved ones due to coronavirus are still in grief.
A statement from Unicef Rwanda indicated that the pandemic has far reaching negative effects on children, aggravated by prolonged lack of access to school friends, teachers, social workers and the safe space and services that schools provide.