Child defilers continue to offend despite the laws in place to protect our young ones. The promised justice does little to stop offenders from hurting our girls and boys.
In Kenya, child defilement is a breach of human rights under the Constitution of Kenya and a crime under the Sexual Offences Act, 2006.
Criminals continue to increase raising the toll of children suffering. Every year, new offenders emerge with few being repeat offenders. Children are lured, cajoled and threatened by these offenders. Penalties do little to stop the vice. The move to stop pornography in public transport is plausible since porn is a huge contributor. But what about the culture of silence cultivated in our communities?
Although child sexual abuse is a crime with high public outrage, few people observe children to provide timely help before the assault.
Offenders are often acquaintances, friends and even relatives of the victims, therefore, parents and guardians need to be careful of those they entrust their children to. It is our joint responsibility as Kenyans to protect our children.
Children who have been assaulted suffer from depression, low self-esteem, stress disorder and trauma. At times you can see them exhibit regressive behaviour and might act out.
All this influences the performance of children. Most victims often drop out of school while others engage in vices such as drugs. In this digital world, it is hard to know whether your child is being sexually abused, especially for working parents.
Parents need to be made aware of this prevalent vice and join forces with their communities to eradicate it. Let’s give our children a safe environment.
Maseno University
