This archive report was first published on 14 July 2019.
According to a recent study published in the journal Scientific African last month, Kenyan women born in the 1990s are facing their first sexual abuse at an earlier age than past generations. The study, which analyzed data from 18,528 women in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Cote d'Ivoire, found that nearly 2% of Kenyan women had their first forced sexual act before the age of 10, compared to 1.6% in Zimbabwe and 1.1% in Cote d'Ivoire.
Furthermore, the study revealed that 4.5% of women aged 15-19 in Kenya had experienced forced sex before the age of 10, compared to 0.7% among those aged 25-34 and 2% among those aged 35-49. Additionally, 4.5%, 3.3%, and 1.9% of never-in-union women in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Cote d'Ivoire, respectively, had experienced forced sex before attaining the age of 10.
Janette Mweni, a lobbyist for the rights of girls, stated, “This study provides hard evidence of increasing defilement of minors in society.” The study's findings are a cause for concern, and experts are calling for stronger laws and stricter enforcement to protect girls from sexual violence.
Dr. Sammy Baya, an expert in sexuality and sex education, noted, “It is worrying that instead of sex violence against women decreasing as our society modernizes, we seem to be retrogressing.” The study's authors are urging parents and guardians to take proactive steps to protect their daughters from potential perpetrators of sexual violence.
Senator Moses Wetang'ula of Bungoma added, “Anybody who sees a woman in a 10-year-old child and has sex with them does not deserve to be called a man. Apart from being jailed for life, such a person should also be castrated.”
