DCI's child protection unit has launched a manhunt for a man suspected to have defiled two minors in Malindi, Kilifi.
The man is suspected to have engaged in child sexual exploitation in a case where two women, have been charged with unlawfully facilitating his indecent sexual acts.
The two women are accused of intentionally and unlawfully causing two girls aged six and three to engage in indecent acts with the suspect on various dates in August in Malindi town.
The two denied the charges before and were released on bond by Malindi resident magistrate Grace Mutemi.
Reports indicated that the suspect lured children into his residence where he allegedly abused them.
Speaking to the Star, Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit head Mueni Mutisya stated that the suspect might have fled the country and that efforts to track him down are ongoing.
Mueni also expressed concerns over the high prevalence of sex tourism in the Coastal region which she mainly attributed to high poverty levels that see parents give off their children to tourists
In 2019, the unit established a forensic section specialized in online child sexual exploitation investigations with a dedicated link to Interpol’s International Child Exploitation (ICSE) Database, the first of its kind in Africa and which has a secure connection with the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
The unit is equipped with specialized cyber experts who work with the International Victim Identification Task Force to identify children depicted in child exploitation imagery and videos.
Since the forensic section was started in 2019, Mutisya revealed that none of the cases it has handled has been thrown out of court due to insufficient evidence or evidence that does not meet the required threshold.
“We have had 21 successful prosecutions for online child exploitation and abuse and 53 cases of child trafficking,” she said, adding that the capacity of investigators, prosecutors and magistrates to handle such cases has been enhanced.
She also raised concerns over the high number of boys who are victims of online child sexual exploitation and abuse that form nearly 95 per cent of the total internet crimes received by the unit through NCMEC.
Mutisya said in some instances, the children are so traumatized and have to undergo counselling before they can reveal their ordeals.
She said the unit has a team of forensic investigators and data analysts who sort online sexual exploitation cases by prioritizing them for follow-up.
“These cases are multi-faceted and need a multi-sectoral approach without which justice would be delayed for victims,” she said.
“There is a team of specialist prosecutors who come to my office every week to discuss these cases, look at the available evidence and what charges to prefer and most of the time, we embrace prosecution-led investigations.”
