By Purity Nthiana
Holidays are times where families meet and spend quality time while giving the children a break from their school program. However, for some, it is a time when predators with immoral ideas will want to harm them. Sexual and gender based violence increases when the children are home. Many of the perpetrators get their opportunity when parents leave their children unsupervised as they go to work. The use of mobile phones and the internet has made reaching children easily and luring them into bad situations. Education and awareness among our children will ensure that they are not vulnerable to this monsters that do not view them as children but as objects of sexual abuse.
Economic hardships in Kenya has led to increase in abuse. Young girls lack of basic needs such as sanitary pads will lead them to their prey. This situation is often exacerbated during the holidays when the safety net provided by schools is not available. During holidays, access to school-based support systems like guidance counselors, teachers, and peer groups is reduced. This lack of support can leave victims without a safe space to report or seek help. This is where the parents have to tighten the grip on their children. Take time to talk to your child about their day, what they did, who they met, where they went. Ask them how they feel about those places and the people.
The news on citizen TV about a 3-year-old who has had to undergo 4 corrective surgeries breaks my heart. Busia county has the highest case of defilement, teenage pregnancy and child marriage. This is contributed by the society hiding the abusers because the abuser is known to the victims and some are even family members. It is so unfortunate that an uncle, step-father, brother-in- law would carry out a heinous act against a child and the mother is asked to keep it on the low to avoid friction within the family. What is family if the abuse is done internally? Mothers are supposed to protect their children and call out their abuser. But the sad case is even this mother is a young 19- year old, what voice does she have?
Empowering this community and especially the women and girls to have a firm voice of calling out their abusers will be a step towards the right directions. With many of the mothers being young, proper education on even matters CSE will ensure they are informed of their rights. Improving their economic lives will also prevent transactional sex that can transform into abuse of their children. Teach them on how to raise children that will not make the same mistakes they did. Avoiding the disco matangasand the cat calling by bodaboda riders and the small tokens of bribery and having affirm NO that if you touch me I’ll scream and report you.
The justice system in this County has failed our children. Bribery and corruption in such cases are unacceptable (though corruption in all cases is unacceptable), but there needs to be a line that cannot be crossed. The cases of sexual abuse should be fast-tracked. The child cannot keep seeing her abuser. It is emotional and mental torture and it will silence the rest of her peers. The shameful thing is when a 15,16-year-old is defiled and the case is juggled as consented. How does a child consent to an act that she does not understand the consequences of? And the abuser tries to explain that they are in a relationship! Absurd! put the abusers behind bars. The law is very clear on the age of consent.
Purity Nthiana is a NAYA Youth Advocate
