A large number of child abuse cases are linked to gender-based violence and intimate partner violence within their households. This is according to the medical manager at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital Dr Anita Parbhoo.

This, after a five-year-old girl who sustained multiple bruises over her body, had tested positive for crystal meth. She was found alone in her house when a neighbour had heard her crying. A toxicology screen revealed that she tested positive for methamphetamines, multiple bruising, and a skull fracture and was underweight.

From September last year to September this year, the Red Cross hospital confirmed 66 cases and 146 cases of non-accidental injuries among children.

Header image: Markhovden Stephenson