4,000 cases of Sexual Violence reported in Kwale County in the last Four Months
Kecosce Community support Center, That is senstizing communities in Kwale Over Gender Vilonce Cases/Photo Caroline Kahonzi
By Caroline Kahonzi
The Kenya community support center Kecosce is implementing a project of sensitizing communities in Kwale County against gender-based violence affecting children below the age of 18 years.
The initiative is implemented through a project known as joint initiative for strategic religious action JISRA
Mwalimu Rama, a field officer for Kecosce organization who was speaking a sensitization meeting that brought together security department officials and members of Kiteje community, mentioned that areas of Kiteje, Mbuguni, Ng’ombeni and Kwale have high records of sexual violence against children.
“Today we are here to sensitize the community to become ambassadors so that they can help fight early pregnancies, defilement and sexism in the area , we have collaborated with the chief’s office and the Police stations in Kwale and Ngombeni so as to create a better understanding on the rights of children and ensuring they grow up in a conducive environment,” Said Mr.Rama
Mr. Rama asked the community to cooperate closely with security institutions so that they can report perpetrators of sexual violence.
“The victims should report to the chief’s office and the police stations so that legal measures are taken against the perpetrators and justice can be availed to the victims, I believe that by now the community has the hot line numbers of the relevant institutions and they will be able to report the cases at the right time ,”Posed Mr.Rama.
At the same time, he called upon the National and County governments to initiate a motivational program for students.
“Motivating students is one of the ways to encourage them to work hard in their studies and have a good foundation in their future life, The government ought to come up with measures that will protect our children against explicit sexual content on the internet ,develop programs that will enable our children have good morals in Society,”Claimed Mr.Rama.
Bechari Mwandegwa, Kiteje resident who attended the sensitization meeting, mentioned that the challenge of early teen pregnancies has also been contributed by the explicit sexual content well easily available to children over the internet.
“Parents have given their children the freedom to access the internet and watch sex videos, then later these children engage in early sex, a move that has greatly contributed to a large number of students dropping out of school and ending up in early marriages, this move violates their basic rights,”He stated Mr.Rama.
The Kwale Police Officer Commanding The Station Philip Ngatia , confirmed an increase in early marriages and defilement cases among children especially in Matuga Sub-county
“The challenge here is early pregnancies, but we have collaborated with community organizations to educate our children in schools about the effects of early pregnancies ,right now I have 3 cases of defilement ,I will make sure that the perpetrators are brought to book ,” Warned the Ocs.
Kwale County children’s department has confirmed over 4,000 cases of sexual violence having being reported within a period of 4 months.
The National Aids Control Council has contributed 3.2 percent of HIV Infections in Kwale county as a result of sexual violence.
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