- The centres will be vital in addressing the ever-growing statistics of violence against children in the county.
- The children will also receive counselling, medical aid and later be reintegrated back into their families.
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@ppcheti
The Kakamega government is set to establish rescue centres for children who are victims of violence.
The centres will be vital in addressing the ever-growing statistics of violence against children in the county.
The children will also receive counselling, medical aid and later be reintegrated back into their families.
The centres will be located at Lurambi, Lugari and Khwisero.
Brenda Barasa, the county chief officer in charge of social services, said a recent review of the County Integrated Development Plan revealed a considerable gap in the provision of child-friendly rescue centres.
She said for the longest time, Kakamega has relied on gender-based violence rescue centres, whose main victims are women, to equally accommodate children who have undergone violence.
The GBV centre is located in Shinyalu.
Another GBV rescue centre is located at the Kakamega General Hospital but mostly shelters children who have undergone sexual abuse and defilement.
It also caters to men, and women who have undergone various forms of GBV.
Barasa said the Kakamega government had launched a programme on shelter improvement for vulnerable children.
“In this case, we are talking about orphans who live in dilapidated homes with leaking roofs and such like conditions,” she said.
The official said the county plans to build 20 houses per ward across the 60 wards, with mapping of the houses currently underway.
“Violence against children whether physical, emotional, social or cyberbullying should not be condoned and efforts to stop it should start from the homes,” she said.
Barasa said they are in the final stages of drafting a policy that will provide a roadmap for effectively addressing challenges affecting children.
According to the Violence against Children survey of 2019 and the National Prevention Plan 2019-2023, nearly half of females aged between 18-24 (45.9 per cent) have experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence during their childhood.
Also, more than half of males of the same age (56.1 per cent) have experienced the same violence during their childhood.
The survey also noted that levels of acceptance and normalisation of violence in Kenya are high.
The VAC report is a nationally representative household survey of children and young adults aged 13 to 24.
It measures the prevalence and circumstances surrounding emotional, physical and sexual violence against males and females in childhood (before 18 years).
The report found that the government, through the State Department of Social Protection – Department of Children Services, has also come up with a National Prevention and Response Plan (2019 – 2023).
The plan aims to reduce VAC prevalence by 40 per cent in the country.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)