Murang’a County government, in partnership with the Directorate of Children Services, has launched an initiative aimed at combating various child abuse perpetuated in the county.
In a press statement, the County administration led by Governor Irungu Kang’ata emphasized its commitment to tackling child labor, defilement, school dropout and teenage pregnancies.
To spearhead these efforts, a multi-agency committee has been established to oversee child protection efforts.
The committee is earmarked to visit victims of child abuse to assess the extent of harm and recommend appropriate actions.
“We have formed a multi sectoral agency committee which will visit victims of child abuse in the county and interview them in order to establish the extent of their abuse and consideration of measures which will be taken, on the victim and perpetrators,” reads part of the statement.
To prevent future cases of defilement and child labor, the county’s department of social services plans to enforce stricter measures, including the prosecution of perpetrators of child abuse.
Additionally, the initiative will see the county organize public forums in every sub county on diverse dates between November 2024 and January 2025 to gather input and engage with the public on effective strategies to address and prevent child abuse.
According to the Murang’a County Crime Outlook 2020 report by the National Crime Research Centre, Child Abuse (including child neglect) accounted for 31.1 percent of cases in the county against the national average of 26.9 percent.
Defilement rates were also significantly high, with 32.6 percent recorded at the county level compared to the national level at 31.3 percent. Child prostitution stood at 0.8 percent against the national average of 0.5 percent.
This initiative reflects on the county’s commitment to protect children’s rights and significantly reduce child abuse rates.
The County Children’s Officer under the directorate of Children services in the national government, Peter Nzeva confirmed that they will partner with the county administration in the initiative that will be embark on ending child abuse.
He observed teenage pregnancies is among the abuse saying since the beginning of this year, 99 girls have been impregnated and currently are under watch of the department.
Nzeva added in the initiative they are working to ensure the teen mothers get support to resume their education.
“A big number of expectant teens and those who have already delivered are not in school. This initiative will also intervene and support the girls resume their studies,” he stated.
By Bernard Munyao and Owen Chege
