Women and children infected with coronavirus are at risk of being branded as witches by their spiritual families who see illness as a sign of demonic possession.
Children's charity Barnardo's has urged neighbours to watch out for signs of abuse among households who believe in spiritual possession and witchcraft.
Such allegations soared during the Ebola epidemic and it is feared it could happen again during the present pandemic. The National FGM Centre, which is run by Barnardo's and the Local Government Association, said lockdown meant teachers and youth workers cannot spot such abuse as easily.
A child's ordeal could be unrelenting because they are not expected to be at school so their abusers may target them 24 hours-a-day.
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