This archive report was first published on 30 October 2019.
Published on October 30, 2019, by Dorothy Kweyu, a concerned mother and Kenyan citizen, raises questions about the rationale behind Kenya's human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine roll-out for girls from 10 years old.
The link between HPV and cervical cancer in Kenya is undeniable, with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reporting that 5,250 women aged 15 and above are diagnosed with cancer in Kenya yearly, and 3,286 succumb to the disease.
However, the author questions why minors are being subjected to the vaccine when the law treats them as lacking capacity for sexual consent. Defiling a child under 11 attracts a maximum penalty of life in jail, while 12-15-year-olds face a 20-year jail term, and 16-18-year-olds are sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
The author argues that the mass vaccination implies that it's acceptable to defile a minor provided she doesn't catch the virus, and that the government has no regard for Kenyan parents' capacity to protect their children from the hazards of premature sex.
The author also criticizes the argument that 'they're doing it anyway,' stating that parents should accord maximum protection to their children from sex pests, which they can if they have the will.
A recent study found that societies with community sanctions against violence, including moral pressure for neighbours to intervene, had the lowest levels of intimate partner and sexual violence.
