This archive report was first published on 14 July 2019.
Published on July 14, 2019, a study among 18,528 women in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Cote d'Ivoire has shed light on the alarming trend of sexual violence against young girls.
According to the study, girls born in the 1990s are facing their first sexual abuse earlier in life than in past generations. The study found that nearly two percent of Kenyan women had their first forced sexual act before the age of 10, compared to 1.6 percent in Zimbabwe and 1.1 percent in Cote d'Ivoire.
Janette Mweni, a lobbyist for the rights of girls, expressed concern over the findings, stating, 'This study provides hard evidence of increasing defilement of minors in society.'
The study, conducted by the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, analyzed data from current Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from the three countries. The DHS are standard and highly detailed surveys carried out in developing countries worldwide to monitor and evaluate national population and health statuses.
Dr. Sammy Baya, an expert in sexuality and sex education, noted that it is worrying that instead of sex violence against women decreasing as society modernizes, they seem to be retrogressing.
Senator Moses Wetang'ula of Bungoma called for stricter laws and enforcement against forced sexual acts, stating, '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.'
