While great awareness has been raised about sexual violence against women in Kenya, much less is known about the problem of sexual abuse of children. Studies suggest that more than 7,200 children including infants are defiled, molested and sodomised every year; experts believe that many more cases go unreported.
This eight year-old boy from Kisii County was molested by his own father who is 39 years-old. He molested his own flesh and blood. How wicked and evil people can be at times.
Cases of child sex abuse in Kisii County are on the rise. When you visit Kisii Training and Referral Hospital and ask about how many cases of child sex abuse they handle in a single day, you will be shocked.
The hospital usually receives three cases of child molestation every day. Most of these children are usually between the ages of 7-12 years. It is estimated that approximately over 30% of children in Kisii County are sexually abused at least once in their lives. This means that 3 out of 10 children in Kisii County have either been molested, defiled or sodomised. Wrap your mind around that and tell me if this is right.
The most disgusting thing about child sex abuse in Kisii County is that in most cases the perpetrator is known to the victim and have no criminal records. It could either be the father, relative or even the neighbor.
Most children who have been molested tend to hide it from others because they are usually threatened and when they speak out their parents cover it up for fear of social stigma and lack of trust in the government.
You can only imagine how many cases go unreported. What is more heartbreaking is that when these cases are reported and taken to court it is usually difficult to get justice for these young children. Corruption at the judiciary and at the police department is a hindrance to justice. Once the brown envelope is handed to them, no justice will ever be found.
This has to stop. The sexual victimization of children is ethically and morally wrong. We have to protect the children of Kisii County. In order to stop and prevent child molestation from happening to these victims, residents of Kisii County and the county government must unite and declare war on child sex abuse.
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