Medical officials from Mumias East in Kakamega county have raised concerns over rising cases of defilement.
Clinical officer in charge of Shianda Health Centre Simwa Tatuli said there was a rampant rise in defilement and rape cases in the area.
Tatuli, who also serves as the subcounty anti-gender-based and sexual-based violence advocate, said sexually transmitted diseases and HIV have become a major problem as a result.
He was speaking during the release of a Community Score Card at Shianda Health Centre in Mumias East.
The Community Score Card is funded by Act Change Transform through support from the United Kingdom Agency for International Development and five partners. They use Shianda Health Centre as a model.
Tatuli said Shianda Health Centre dispenses more condoms than any other health facility in the subcounty.
“Shianda is one of the dispensaries that dispenses more condoms in the whole subcounty,” Tatuli said.
He said they have a youth-friendly centre with a specialist in sexually transmitted infections to counsel and offer health education to youth.
Tatuli urged youth to abstain from early sex to curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infections.
Ematetie community health chairperson Khaimba said rape cases were common and mostly committed by boda boda riders.
Khaimba urged the community to emulate the Father-to-Father Group's footsteps and to teach men on how to treat girls to help curb defilement and rape cases.
The Father-to-Father Group in Ematetie community is a group funded by an NGO. They educate men on how to treat their spouses, like escorting their expectant women to clinics.
Tatuli said there is emotional, financial and spiritual violence among partners. “This is classified under intimate partner violence,” he said.
Tatuli urged men to find better ways of solving domestic differences instead of beating their wives.
“They should seek assistance on how to release their stress to avoid dying slowly from mental torture which can lead to suicide,” he added.
Tatuli said some cultures do not allow men to speak out about what their women did to them.
However, he said some victims use defilement cases to get money.
Tatuli said after receiving the PRC Forms, some victims settle their cases at home without legal procedures after collecting money from the accused.
He said the victims use the PRC Forms to threaten the accused to pay them or else they have them arrested. This makes the accused sell pieces of land to settle the defiled to avoid arrest.
He warned those who use PRC Forms to get money from perpetrators to stop since, when caught, they could be charged more than the culprits.
