The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection reported two cases of one-day-old children being victims of child abuse and neglect. This information was presented to the Standing Committee on Social Affairs during the review of the ministry’s annual report for the financial year 2020-2021.
In total, 1,727 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported during this period, an increase from the 1,478 cases reported in the previous financial year of 2019-2020. The ministry noted, “There was an increase in the reporting of child welfare cases.”
The majority of the child victims were female, accounting for 924 cases compared to 803 males. Most of the victims fell within the age range of 0-5 years, consistent with the prior year’s data. Among the youngest victims aged 0-5, neglect was the most common issue reported (155 cases), followed by physical abuse (96 cases).
The youngest victims identified were just one day old with two reported cases, while the oldest were 17 years old, totaling 126 cases.