A Kenyan Horror Movie

Just when you think you’ve heard everything and the world couldn’t possibly vomit out something worse… you read the newspapers.

This week 1000 Kenyan teachers have been dismissed on charges of sexual abuse, which occurred over the past 2 years. Last year, 600 male teachers were dismissed and so far this year 550 teachers have lost their jobs for either kissing, touching or impregnating girls out a total teaching staff of 240,000 countrywide. Although Most of the cases have occurred in rural primary schools, the problem is a countrywide one.

In one school a children’s rights NGO found that, over 20 girls were pregnant and nearly half the number were actually impregnated by the teachers themselves. According to the NGO the biggest problem is the lack of proper reporting that could result in convictions and often teachers who are caught defiling their students end up paying the parents in order to prevent cases going to court. In this year's report of abuse in relation to Kenyan children, sexual violence topped the list at 86 percent.


This is not to say the rest of the world is any better on child abuse statistics however the Kenyan government has elected to go transparent and set up networks as well as countrywide help-lines to assist the victims and their families as well as to de-stigmatise those who do step forward.



This raises a question of mistaken identity. Often we tell children to be weary of strangers and even in grade school kids are taught ‘stranger danger’, but how is this relevant when they’re being abused by the very people who are suppose to protect, motivate, educate and empower them?