The Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Service received and attended a total of 206 cases of abuse and rights violation during March 2023.

The ministry on Tuesday publicized statistics for the third month of the ongoing year, revealing that the authority received and attended a total of 206 cases.

These include cases of violence against children, domestic violence, gender-based violence, family issues, care and support issues, behavioral problems, child rights violations, self-harming and suicidal behavior, social support and well-being and cases of children in conflict with the law.

98 cases of violence against children were reported to them in March alone.

Out of the 98 cases of violence against children, a majority involved children having fallen victim to negligence. As such, 29 cases of child negligence, 28 cases of physical abuse inflicted on children, 14 cases of emotional abuse of children, 13 cases of children being victims of sexual abuse, nine cases of children witnessing domestic violence, three cases of bullying and harassment, one case of a child being blackmailed, and one other case were reported during the past month.

46 girls and 52 boys were victims of violence in the past month.

Further, of the 29 cases linked to gender-based violence and domestic violence reported in March, 13 were of physical violence and abuse, nine were of emotional and verbal abuse, six were of intimidation and one was of withholding and damaging property.

26 girls and three boys were victims of gender-based violence and domestic abuse that month.

In addition to this, 18 cases were to do with family issues, of which 13 related to access to the child, four victims were identified to have parenting issues and one was an issue related to custody and rights to access.

Seven boys and 11 girls were victims of family issues.

Further, one girl was reported to have been denied access to health care as well.

The ministry also received 12 cases of self-harm and suicidal behavior during March. These included six victims of self-harm, four victims who had suicidal behavior including a boy and three girls as well as two victims with suicidal thoughts.

Throughout March, 25 cases of care and support for the elderly and persons with disabilities were also reported. These include 18 cases of failure to give care and support for persons with disabilities and seven cases of failure to give care and support for the elderly.

The ministry also reported 16 cases of behavioral problems including eight children who refused to attend school, three children with disciplinary issues, two children who threw temper tantrums, two children who ran away from home and one with other issues.

Further, the ministry also received four cases of child rights violations where one girl and three boys are involved, them being stripped of their right to education and access to healthcare.

Also, one girl and two boys were reported to be in violation of the law. One child was also implicated in physical assault and aggression.

Statistics go on to indicate that 186 children were under state care by the end of March this year.

As such, one child was reintegrated with a family and three were taken into state care including a girl and two boys.

Moreover, two children were placed with foster families.

107 boys and 79 girls are currently under state care.