Child Protection Kenya Project #31400

Shine A Light on Child Abuse in Kenya

by Childline Kenya

Project Report | Feb 14, 2023
Give warmth to each child...or at least do no harm

By Martha Sunda | Executive Director, Childline Kenya

This is the month of love. Lots of love is expressed and shared and experienced...but is it so for children as well? Like every living being, children need genuine love and affection within the environments they exist. This allows them to thrive in their childhood and to blossom into responsible adults...but is the needed genuine love available to them? Mercy (not her real name) who is a 15 year old girl, went about her business online checking out different content and chatting with friends. While online, she got a friend request from a person who presented himself as a famous musical artist whose music was the talk of town. Mercy was elated! She accepted the friend request and continued engaging with the celebrity online. The messages between each other were friendly, with each of them sharing details about themselves in detail and getting to know each other better. She felt appreciated and listened to and valued. She had truly gotten a friend. That he was a celebrity made it even more interesting and she felt extra special. After a while, her online friend invited her to join him during a live performance concert outside the country. He promised to take care of all the trip expenses. All she need to do is raise USD300 for visa facilitation. This, he said, was urgent as it was the first step before he could make other logistical arrangements. Mercy started going round asking for money from her friends and relatives, in desperation but with no clear reason why she urgently needed the cash. It was until one of her counsins promised her the full amount in exchange for the truth, that Mercy spilt the beans. The case was reported to Childline Kenya urgently for attention. In close collaboration with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations the true identity of Mercy's "celebrity" was revealed and the fraudulent scheme aborted. Mercy was shocked to know who the true person behind the "celebrity" image was. She was gently psychoeducated on how to keep herself and others safe while on the online space as she continued attending therapy sessions to deal with the resultant trauma. Mercy, like other children her age, enjoyed the sense of belonging and appreciation and therefore fell prey easily to the tricks of her "celebrity" online friend. Childline Kenya works with partners to promote child safety from online sexual exploitation and abuse. The specific activities target four (4) domains as follows:

SOCIAL- CULTURAL DOMAIN-Children are active and able to report concerns/cases; parents are active and monitor children online; and communities acknowledge children's agency and hold duty bearers accountable
FORMAL INSTITUTIONS DOMAIN - Local and national governments address the gaps in the online child sexual exploitation (OCSE) legislation, and are responsive to children and community needs in combating OCSE and victim care and are held accountable by regional and international bodies.
LAW ENFORCEMENT DOMAIN - Law enforcement agencies nationally operate in a coordinated manner, are better equipped with appropriate forensic tools and resources to effectively investigate OCSE
PRIVATE SECTOR DOMAIN-Banks and financial institutions, Social media and tech companies and Internet service providers in the travel and Tourism sector are active participants in preventing OCSE.

More partners are invited to join this worthy cause to support children like Mercy who may be taken advantage of on the online space, despite the incredible benefits found on the online space as well. We appreciate all current and past partnerships for the wellbeing of children and look forward to even more partnerships and support. Let us Shine A Light on Child Abuse in Kenya and may we all commit to give warmth to every child around us...or at least to not harm them.

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Oct 17, 2022
Subtle danger lurking in the shadows

By Martha Sunda | Executive Director, Childline Kenya

As violence against children continues to hurt individuals, families and whole communities a subtle but lethal phenomenon also lurks in the shadows threatening to grind life to a halt for several people…almost literally. The world has gone through tough seasons in the recent past including the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing funding for service delivery in communities and skyrocketing inflation. All these come with a lot of strains at different levels. It is no wonder therefore that the number of people, including children, who are sinking into depression is increasing at alarming rates sometimes resulting in suicide.

Mary, a 25-year-old mother of a handsome three-year-old boy wrote on her Facebook page of her intention to kill her baby and commit suicide to end her misery. She had gone through a very difficult patch in her life following the unexpected pregnancy and being left as a single mother. It did not help that she was also jobless and struggling to make ends meet. This scary post was flagged by a concerned adult and the same shared with the Childline Kenya team for mental health support.

Through the gentle guidance and therapy by an experienced professional counselor, Mary is gradually recovering from the depression and is thriving together with her son. Through the support of very dear friends of Childline and our GlobalGiving partners Mary has been able to set up a grocery store as a business to raise some money to sustain her and her son. She is also able to continue her therapy sessions.

Thankfully, her social media post was noted in good time and she was linked to the Child helpline team for immediate support. Many other individuals like Mary are in dire situations hoping for someone to “notice them” and bring the much needed help. Unfortunately, many do not get the opportunity or energy to raise their voice and ask for help. Child Helpline 116 service in Kenya exists for all children and their families to find help. Join us to spread the word to ensure that each ear hears this message and keeps it in memory to help any child hurting in any way. The helpline team is available every day 24/7 to provide this much needed assistance. The helpline services can be accessed through dialing 116 free of charge from anywhere in Kenya. Other channels of access to the helpline include WhatsApp: 0722116116, Email: 116@childlinekenya.co.ke, Facebook: Child Helpline 116-Kenya or Childline Kenya, Twitter: @childlinekenya). Anonymous reporting is encouraged with as much details as possible provided for the survivor to be found and assisted. The specific services provided include:

Child and family therapy, for free, for children in distress and their families or community though the Helpline and one-on-one.
Assistance in seeking justice for violated children free of charge to the child and their family.
Referral and follow up cases of children for additional services including rescue and placement of the child in temporary safe shelter, medical support, mediation and other necessary support.
Documentation of reported cases to track child protection trends in the country and the need for action.
Informing and educating the public (including children) on keeping children safe and everyone’s role in it.

No one, indeed, no child, should be left behind in the journey to positive mental health. Speak Out, Find Help.

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Jun 19, 2022
One Child at a Time is one Life at a Time

By Martha Sunda | Executive Director, Childline Kenya

Childline Kenya's main goal is to stop child abuse in Kenya. We see and look forward to a world where children's rights and dignity are upheld at all times. For this reason we gladly wake up each morning ready to manage the cases reported through the national chiild helpline 116 service which we co-manage with the Government of Kenya through the Directorate of Children Services. In the past three months we have attended to 48,768 calls. Today we share the case of one of our clients who was violated but through the intervention of the child helpline team she was assisted and is on the journey to recovery as she confidently looks forward to justice being served.

Nature of Case: Defilement

Location: Nairobi

Age: 15 years old

Sex: Female

Betty (not her real name) called the Child Helpline service from Western Kenya. She reported a case of incestuous defilement of her daughter. After closing school, Flora (Not her real name) visited her father in Nairobi as was the custom. This time, unfortunately, her father proceeded to defile her multiple times while in his care. However, it was not until she fell ill that Flora got the courage to tell her mother, Betty, about these incidents. The distraught mother then swiftly reported the Child Helpline 116 for assistance. The Helpline team acted quickly and sought the nearest relative to work with in the case. Luckily Flora’s maternal aunt was found. The aunt, with the backing of the police officers and children officers, quickly rescued Flora from the house and took her to a secure place after getting authority from the police and the children’s office to move the child under these circumstances. Flora was also taken to hospital for medical attention. The police officers also arrested Flora’s father and arraigned him in court. The case is ongoing in court and the child was reunited with her mother. The Helpline counsellor meets with Flora twice a month for therapy as the case continues in court. Flora’s future is bright because of the intervention of the helpline team, thanks to the support that Childline Kenya receives from various quarters including our GlobalGiving donors. This support ensures availability of the helpline service 24/7, every day of the year…such a beautiful gift to the children of Kenya, the gift of availability…always.

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