This archive report was first published on 26 November 2019.
As the world marked the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, reports from the Department of Children in Kisumu revealed a disturbing trend of rising defilement cases and teenage pregnancies.
Between July 2018 and July 2019, a staggering 5,653 cases of teenage pregnancies were reported in the county, with the most vulnerable being girls aged 15-19. In fact, statistics showed that 5,403 girls in this age bracket were teenage mothers.
Experts attributed the worrying statistics to sexual exploitation, where perpetrators lure young girls into sex for financial gain or other non-legitimate purposes. The situation has worsened, with defilement cases increasing during the first eight months of this year.
According to Humphrey Wandeo, the department's director, cases of sodomy have also increased, particularly among street children. “Cases of teenage pregnancies are on the rise and so is sodomy, with street children being the most affected,” he said.
Child prostitution is a major concern in Kisumu Central, where 1,068 pregnancies among teenagers aged 15-19 were recorded this year. The statistics also showed that teenage mothers between the ages of 10 and 14 were 35, with a 22 per cent increase in teenage clients in antenatal clinics.
Another disturbing trend is the rise in defilement cases in Kisumu West Sub-County, where 778 teenage pregnancies were recorded, with 57 children between the ages of 10 and 14 recorded as victims. Nyando leads in cases of children between ages 10 and 14 becoming pregnant, with 65 cases reported in the past year.
At Jaramogi Odinga Oginga Teaching and Referral Hospital's Gender-Based Violence and Recovery Centre, at least 1,482 defilement cases were reported between January and August this year, a significant increase from 886 reported from January to December last year. In the current statistics, 98 per cent of the victims of defilement are girls.
