AFRICA/SIERRA LEONE - Schools closed for ebola: child abuse, teenage pregnancy, prostitution are on the rise

Thursday, 18 June 2015

Freetown (Agenzia Fides) - The epidemic of Ebola in Sierra Leone, and the subsequent closure of schools to prevent the further spread of the disease, have exacerbated the phenomenon of child exploitation and violence against adolescents. Various international organizations have collected the testimonies of more than 1,000 children between 7 and 18 years of age of different districts of the country, where more than 3500 people have died of ebola.
The closure of schools and educational centers have caused the increase in cases of child labor, of teenage pregnancies and greater exposure to the risk of violence in families or in communities. The children orphaned by the virus are the most vulnerable and are forced into prostitution in order to survive. The young victims are sexually abused even when they go to fetch water or simply walk the streets. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 18/06/2015)


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