• Prevention plan to address emerging forms of violence such as radicalisation and extremism, online abuse and children gangs.
• The Ministry of Labour has launched a campaign dubbed ‘Spot It, Stop It’ to raise awareness of violence against children
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The National Prevention Plan on Violence against Children in Kenya 2019-23 aims at shrinking childhood violence by 40 per cent by 2024.
“Its goal is for all children in Kenya to be protected from physical, sexual and emotional violence, and for those children who experience violence to have access to care, support and services,” the State Department for Social Protection says.
Currently, half of Kenyan children suffer violence, with a growing concern over online platforms.
Despite statistics indicating a drop in the number of children facing violence, United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative to Kenya Maniza Zaman says Covid-19 could aggravate the situation.
“The plan articulates what needs to be done for Kenya to deliver its pledge of achieving the SDG to “end abuse, exploitation trafficking and all forms of violence against children,” Zaman says.
It also intends to promote positive parenting practices and economic strengthening to reduce violence within families.
According to the Kenya 2019 Violence against Children Survey, about one in three females and two in five males reported parents or adult relatives as the perpetrators of the first incident of physical violence in their childhoods.
The prevalence of violent discipline against children at home is also high.
Almost half of females (48 per cent) and males (42 per cent) aged 13-17 experienced physical discipline or verbal aggression by parents or caregivers.
Over half of the respondents said they had witnessed violence within their homes in their childhood.
“The strategic plan aims to obtain reliable, adequate and timely data on violence against children and improve access to data by the government and other stakeholders for evidence-based planning,” the state department said.
It will also address emerging forms of violence such as radicalisation and extremism, online abuse and children gangs that are increasingly becoming prevalent.
To achieve this, the Ministry of Labour has launched a campaign dubbed ‘Spot It, Stop It’ to raise awareness of violence against children and inform people how to prevent or report it.
Children's assemblies in all counties will also be convened to sensitise learners on the existing child protection policies and guidelines, including relevant sections of the code of conduct for teachers.
Launched on Thursday, the strategic plan is based on the premise that violence against children is never justifiable, nor is it inevitable and if its underlying causes are identified and addressed, violence against children is entirely preventable.