In as much as the majority believe a Child’s memory fades with time, that is not the case for sexual violence. Many grow up with the memory of the assault wishing the situation was handled differently. Others blame themselves for being targets of pedophiles.
According to the survey conducted by the Kenyan government, the researchers spoke to more than 2000 children and young adults from all 47 counties in Kenya between December 2018 and January 2019. The survey was named The 2019 Violence Against Children Survey (VACS).The key findings revealed:
- Half of the young women (52 percent) and young men (51.5 percent) between the ages of 18 and 24 witnessed violence at home as a child.
- Almost half of the girls (48.2 percent) and more than two out of five boys (41.7 percent) aged 13 to 17 had experienced violent discipline like corporal punishment in the 12 months before the survey.
- It is not common for children to report violence or seek assistance. Only 12.5 percent of young women who had experienced sexual violence as a child sought help, and only three percent of young men.
- Of the women who did not seek help, more than half (53.6 percent) said it was because they did not think the abuse was a problem.
- Many children think violence is to be tolerated. More than half of girls (50.5 percent) and almost half of boys (47.3 percent) aged between 13 and 17 indicated it was acceptable for a husband to beat his wife.
- Physical violence was the most common type of violence experienced as a child, reported by 38.8 percent of young women and 51.9 percent of young men aged 18-24.
- Nearly one in six young women (15.6 percent) aged 18 to 24 experienced sexual violence as a child, compared to 6.4 percent of young men, with intimate partners the most common perpetrators.
- Around a third of boys (32.2 percent) and girls (34.3 percent) aged 13 to 17 experienced emotional violence – such as being told that their parent wished they had never been born – in the 12 months before the survey was conducted.
The statistics are worrisome, showcasing a high number of assault cases happens in homes and schools, places where the kids are confined, and that the abuser is well known to the family and the society; hence the case may not be handled in favor of the child instead the turn of the adults to protect their image.
April is sexual assault awareness month; the Wounded Healers International seeks to create awareness to anyone who has a child that is assaulted or anyone who was attacked as a child, now an adult and never got help. To contact us and get free counseling, we shall work with you to ensure you get the healing you deserve at no cost.
Applaud to the Kenyan celebrities coming out to speak about their assault experiences when they were younger and how they have learned to take caution as they raise their kids and are openly sharing tall free numbers and government offices to get help.