The Mwakirunge dumpsite in Kisauni subcounty is a dangerous area where vulnerable girls are exploited, some of them raped, a forum on girls’ safety was told.
Some get pregnant.
Since they are poor, many drop out of school to enter what should be a no-go zone, thus exposing themselves to boys and pedophiles lying in wait in mountains of refuse.
Mwakirunge assistant chief Betty Kajoho wants the dumpsite fenced and entry restricted to save the girls.
She said once fenced, only people aged 18 and above should be allowed to enter.
At this time, however, children as young as eight, boys and girls, pick through the garbage for anything they can resell and earn a living.
“This is a long holiday, and the schoolchildren will be home for two months. Girls are the most vulnerable because Mwakirunge is a poor income area and they could easily be lured into the trap by boys,” Kajoho said.
She spoke in Mwakirunge on the sidelines of a Youth Talk session by Search for Common Ground, which is sensitising children aged between 13 and 18 on early pregnancies and gender-based violence.
Kajoho said the talks help empower the girls to resist any advances by boys and other sex predators.
She said cases of teen pregnancies have fallen in the area because such forums and of those cases that do occur, few families go to kangaroo courts as before, seeking money or cattle from culprits.
In the past, studies showed that seven out of 10 girls in the area were most likely to drop out of school due to teen pregnancies.
Search for Common Ground assistant officer Wahida Mohamed said the Mwakirunge dumpsite is a dangerous lure and action must be taken.
“Many girls are being lured to the dumpsite because of the poverty levels in this area. The dumpsite is a source of income for them,” she said.
“So many young girls drop out of school to go work there to earn some income and the area is a soft ground for their exploitation by other people.”
Wahida said some girls engage in sex for better sales or just opportunities.
" It is a big problem. The county or national government should work on it. There should be a plan for the dumpsite. Fencing it would be advantageous,” she said.
Wahida said the Youth Talk Project, which she heads, was brought to Mwakirunge because of the rising teenage pregnancies that had hit a crisis level.
“From our research, the area was hitting a crisis in teen pregnancies. But we thank God the cases are now declining because of interventions by various actors,” she said.
Wahida said illicit or forced sex was fundamentally caused by the high cost of living, which pushed girls to take drastic actions to get by.
“The mental health aspect contributed to the crisis. Many girls come from broken families and stress levels built up because of the lack of proper parental guidance or a lacking father figure,” she said.
About 30 teenagers attended the Youth Talk session on Tuesday and national government should work on it.
There should be a plan for the dumpsite. Fencing it would be advantageous,” she said.
Wahida said the Youth Talk Project, which she heads, was brought to Mwakirunge because of the rising teenage pregnancies that had hit a crisis level.
“From our research, the area was hitting a crisis in teen pregnancies. But we thank God the cases are now declining because of interventions by various actors,” she said.
Wahida said illicit or forced sex was fundamentally caused by the high cost of living, which pushed girls to take drastic actions to get by.
“The mental health aspect contributed to the crisis. Many girls come from broken families and stress levels built up because of the lack of proper parental guidance or a lacking father figure,” she said.
About 30 teenagers attended the Youth Talk session on Tuesday and they were equipped with knowledge and information on how to keep safe and where to go for help in case of harm or to prevent harm.
Mombasa county gender officer
Nicholas Opondo said the county has
been working with lobby groups like
SFG to sensitise the public on issues
like teen pregnancies and mental
health issues.
