Defiled at 4 months; baby Blessing's story of survival, hope and justice

It has been eight months since baby *Blessing (four months old) now one year, was defiled by an 11-year-old boy. At that time, The Standard told baby *Blessing's* story. She was healing from a reconstructive surgery. A medical report in The Standard's possession, states that baby Blessing had a Grade 2 Perineal tear. According to experts, a second-degree perineal tear is a vaginal tear that affects the skin and muscles of the perineum. It's the most common type of vaginal tear during childbirth. On 15th January 2025, which happens to be baby Blessing's first birthday, we meet her again at the Standard headquarters on Mombasa Road. Dressed in matching white trousers and shirt, her bubbly persona is hard to hide, she decides to climb down from her mother's back intending to try and walk on her own, laughing and cooing. She is a happy baby, oblivious of what happened to her. *Beatrice, baby Blessings mother, says that so much has changed, she had to move to a new neighbourhood. She did not want her child to grow up around people who knew what had happened. READ: Mother in pain after her four-month baby is defiled by an 11-year-old She no longer trusts anyone with her child. "After the incident, I take my child everywhere. Even when I go outside to fetch water, I tie her on my back and carry her with me. As a casual labourer, when I go to work, I take my baby along," she says. Mama Blessing lived in Nairobi's Shauri Moyo before the government notified residents who lived near the rivers to move to higher ground. On May 23, 2024, she carried her baby and a few belongings, then moved in with her friend, whose 11-year-old son, Peter also lived there. The following day Beatrice returned to collect the rest of her belongings, leaving Baby Blessing with Peter. "When I came back, the baby was crying uncontrollably, I thought she had missed me, but when I picked her up, I noticed there was blood on her clothes. I asked Peter what had happened, but he said he did not know," she says. She rushed the baby to a nearby hospital where they immediately called an ambulance and took her to Nairobi Women's Hospital. "The doctors said the damage was too much, she had to undergo surgery," she says. On June 2, 2024, upon being discharged, Beatrice went back to her friend's place. Peter was there. "He denied it from the first day, and his mother even insulted me saying that I wanted to destroy her son's life. Neighbours advised me to report the matter at the police station. Peter allegedly owned up to the crime later. Elizabeth Iluku, who works with the Gender Violence Recovery Centre, confirms that Peter was taken to a correctional facility. "We have a probation department that handles such cases. This one didn't go through trial; after the mention, he was admitted and was taken to a correctional centre through the probation department," she says. The Law Catherine Mburu, Deputy Registrar at the Magistrates Court, said during an interview on Spice FM that legally, an 11-year-old and a 4-month-old are both children in need of care and protection. "Before we look at the criminal aspect and the criminal justice system, these are children who are in need of care and protection, especially the child in conflict with the law. We focus on addressing this through capacity building, training and psycho-social support. The 4-month-old may not understand what's going on and similarly, the 11-year-old doesn't fully grasp it either. Perhaps they have access to technology and see certain things, leading them to experiment. And who do they experiment with? A baby. Is the criminal justice system the solution to this issue?" questions Mburu. According to lawyer, Sylvia Morwabe, children fall into two categories: those in conflict with the law and those in need of care and protection (who come into contact with the law not due to offensive behavior but because they need protection). "There are various facilities designed to protect and work with children. Some are managed by the Children's Department, while others are under Kenyan prisons such as Borstal institutions. Additionally, there are remand homes, probation hostels, and rehabilitation schools for children in contact or in conflict with the law," she explains. Morwabe adds that before deciding to prosecute a child, the probation office assesses the circumstances. Based on the case details, the probation officer will recommend the most suitable mechanism for the child. "Sometimes you look at a child and think they could have just gone to a probation hostel because of the nature of the offence but you find them in a Borstal institution. This is because a probation hostel has more freedom and requires someone that is more disciplined, sometimes they are allowed to go to school then come back to the hostel in the evening," she says. The Borstal institution houses children between the ages of 15-18, with a maximum sentence of 3 years. After a year, a review is conducted to assess the child's progress. If improvements are noted, they may be released on a license to serve the remaining two years outside. What happens when someone is sexually assaulted? Iluku says when someone is sexually assaulted, they are given medication to prevent HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and other infections.''We had to give her post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV or STIs. She also got the Hepatitis B vaccine," said Iluku. Dr Saudah Farooqui, an obstetrician and gynaecologist said when a child is defiled, reconstructive surgery is necessary."We check the damage and repair it," she said To properly assess the bleeding, experts recommend further tests including a CT scan. On whether her reproductive health will be affected in the future, Dr Saudah said that it depends on the damage. "If the damage was too much, then in the future, she might have pain during sex. Sometimes the damage might be worsened by infections," she said. Dr Saudah adds that the damage can also cause fistula or vaginismus. ALSO READ: Perverted pastor who defiled minors in God's name faces jail A vaginal fistula is an unusual opening that connects the vagina to another organ, for example, the rectum, bladder, large and small intestine. If the repair does not heal well, it may cause a fistula. Sometimes the damage can cause Vaginismus. And if it was sodomy, it can also cause pain while passing stool. So it is very important to do a thorough examination and find proper, permanent solutions," she says. Vaginismus is an involuntary tensing of the vagina during any form of penetration. Psychological Since the alleged perpetrator is also a minor. Questions are, where did he learn to engage in sexual activities? Did he watch pornographic material, was he also abused and that became his normal? Is it a cycle of abuse? "Yes it is a cycle of abuse. Most abusers have been abused. Especially at that age, they may have learnt it from somewhere. The young boy might need a psychological review," says Annita Munyiva a Counselling Psychologist Annita says in such cases, the parent might also need counselling since they might have homicidal and suicidal ideations. On whether in future baby Blessing should be told she was defiled, Annita says that timing should be considered. "The idea of the child learning later in life from someone else what happened to them may lead to difficulty in forgiving the mother for withholding that information. As the child grows, it's important for the mother to decide when to disclose it," she says. A 2022 report by the Office of the Director of Prosecutions report indicated that 11,366 sexual offences were filed. Out of that, defilement accounted for 6,467 cases, indecent act with child recorded 1,329, attempted defilement 1,024 and rape 846 cases.

Defiled at 4 months; baby Blessing's story of survival, hope and justice

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