Let's act with more seriousness to end cases of child defilement

Woman raising her hand for dissuade. [Courtesy/GettyImages]

In dusty playgrounds, quiet villages, city estates, classrooms, and even places of worship, children across Kenya are facing a silent but devastating epidemic—defilement a form of sexual violence robbing both girls and boys of their innocence, dignity, and dreams. The perpetrators are not just strangers lurking in the dark; they are often the very people entrusted with these children's safety—relatives, caregivers, family friends, teachers, religious leaders, and heartbreakingly even peers and parents.

Despite a comprehensive legal framework that includes the Sexual Offences Act, the Children Act, and Article 53 of the Constitution, justice for survivors of defilement sometimes remains elusive. Enforcement is dangerously inconsistent. As a legal practitioner child rights advocate, we note too many cases where the pursuit of justice is sometimes sabotaged by bribery allegations, interference, or indifference. Survivors are traumatised by the very systems meant to offer them safety. Families live in fear of speaking out, institutions often fail to respond.