Trafficking, sexual offences lead in crimes against children – report

Trafficking and sexual exploitation form more than half of offences against children, data from the judiciary has shown. The National Council on Administration of Justice says defilement, incest, child pornography and trafficking form 70 per cent of all offences brought before court.

“Majority of cases ( 46 per cent) were related to sexual abuse and exploitation, including defilement, attempted defilement, incest and child pornography,” said the 2023- 24 report by the Chief Justice Martha Koome-led council said.

Child trafficking followed with 20 per cent. The cases, recorded in the criminal justice chain including police stations, showed missing children cases at 13 per cent and parental abductions at 2.9 per cent.

Others are theft and cruelty to children at 2.9 per cent. Children organ harvesting and trafficking, denial of right to education, child abuse and abandonment constituted 1.4 per cent of the recorded cases.

The most affected age is from 13-15 at 32 per cent followed by 16-17 at 22 per cent, 10-12 ( 19 per cent) and 7-9 ( 15 per cent). Ages 0 -3 had six victims while 4- 6 had three.

According to the report, Nairobi is increasingly hostile to children, taking the lion’s share of the number of children exposed to various forms of violence.

Other forms of abuse children endure include physical, sexual and emotional abuse as well as harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage.

“Some children are also vulnerable to substance abuse, radicalisation, hazardous labour and online exploitation,” it says.

Of the 117,602 cases of violence against children recorded nationally, Nairobi led with 16,855 cases. Kiambu had 9,660 cases, Nakuru and Machakos recorded 5,377 and 5,432 cases. Kakamega had 4,171 cases.

Other top counties include Bungoma ( 3,712 ), Kisumu ( 3,708 ) Murang’a ( 3,655 ), Narok ( 3,386 ), Migori ( 3,207 ), Mombasa ( 3,001 ), Embu ( 2,952 ), Busia ( 2,834 ), Meru ( 2,599 ), Makueni ( 2,289), and Siaya ( 2,361).

Samburu and Marsabit recorded the lowest incidents of child violence and abuse at 3,76 and 486. The council recommended counselling as one of the ways of helping victims.

“Forty-six per cent of children went through professional counsel ling designed to help them cope with emotional distress and psychological trauma,” it says.

According to the report, 16,267 new children cases were filed during the period under review, with some 16,119 being resolved.

To enhance access to justice by children, the judiciary annually observes November as the children justice month to promote a child-centred service delivery initiative.

The report also says part of the judiciary’s effort to better the lot of children in getting justice involved holding a conference to discuss better strategies.

The International Conference on Child Protection was held on November 22 to 24 last year at Daystar University, bringing all actors, local and international in the justice arena.

During the conference, there was an emphasis on initiatives aimed at protecting and caring for children without parental care within families and communities.