Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore has reiterated government’s commitment to scale up interventions to end violence against children.
Bore said the ministry will advocate and lobby for more resources from government and engage in private public partnerships to scale up high impact interventions that are effective and promising in preventing violence against children in the country.
Violence against children encompasses various forms of child abuse, including neglect, defilement, physical and emotional abuse, and harmful cultural practices.
Its impact is profound leading to physical injuries, psychological trauma and adverse health outcomes for children.
Bore said this in a speech read on her behalf by PS Social Protection Joseph Motari during the launch of launch of ‘Kenya’s journey towards protecting children –a decade of change (2020-2019)’ report in Nairobi.
She said the ministry will scale up child-inclusive social protection services, facilitate accessible child-friendly justice system and engage children as well as enhance mechanisms for online child protection.
The CS said the government commitment to raising awareness and advocating for child rights has sparked a cultural shift.
"Through the "Spot It, Stop It" campaign to end violence against children among others in different sectors we have raised awareness and championed child rights,” Bore said.
“Communities have stopped tolerating violence and children are more confident in reporting abuse, highlighting the positive impact of collective advocacy,” Bore added.
The CS said effective inter-sectoral coordination and collaboration with other ministries, departments, agencies, development partners, the private sector and the community has proven to bear fruits.
Bore further noted that the government has enacted various laws and policies with the most recent being the Children Act 2022, to consolidate the gains made over the years in ending violence against children.
This, she said, will also ensure that children living in Kenya are adequately protected, advance their life-long opportunities and their dignity is preserved.
Over the years, Kenya has increasingly focused on identifying effective strategies to prevent and respond to violence against children.
In 2010, Kenya participated in the first Violence against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS), which revealed alarming levels of violence against children.
Subsequently, Kenya developed a National Response Plan (NRP) for Violence against Children 2013-2018, providing a comprehensive prevention and response framework.
A decade later, the Kenya national violence against children survey conducted in 2019 demonstrated a significant reduction in the prevalence of violence against children, particularly in sexual and physical violence.