Violence against Children Study in Kenya: Findings from a 2010 National Survey

The 2010 Kenya Violence against Children Study (VACs) is the first national survey of violence against both female and male children in Kenya. The survey, covering 1,306 females and 1,622 males aged between 13 to 24 years, was designed to yield lifetime and current experiences of emotional, physical, and sexual violations for female and male children, adolescents, and youth.

Kenya VACS was guided by a Technical Working Group (TWG) consisting of government ministries and partners from social welfare, the police and legal system, education and health care sectors, and civil society. The study was coordinated by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Kenya Country Office with technical guidance and assistance provided by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention, and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

From the Executive Summary: "The findings from the survey indicate that violence against children is a serious problem in Kenya. Levels of violence prior to age 18 as reported by 18 to 24 year olds (lifetime experiences) indicate that during childhood: 32% of females and 18% of males experience sexual violence; 66% of females and 73% of males experienced physical violence; 26% of females and 32% of males experience any violence as a child; and 13% of females and 9% of males experienced all three types of violence during childhood.

The most common perpetrators of sexual violence for females and males were found to be boyfriends/girlfriends/ romantic partners comprising 47% and 43% respectively followed by neighbors, 27% and 21% respectively. Mothers and fathers were the most common perpetrator of physical violence by family members. For males, teachers followed by Police were the most common perpetrators of physical violence by an authority figure. Emotional violence for both females and males was most often inflicted by parents."

The "Implications for Prevention and Response" section details the following:

• "[T]he TWG provides a forum from which different sectors can review current policies and develop distinct interventions and initiatives to address child abuse and other forms of violence in an integrated manner."
• Recognising and understanding the overlapping nature of emotional, physical, and sexual violence has implications for protection and response services, and suggests that a more holistic approach to addressing child violence may be appropriate, including coordination and collaboration across services.
• "[P]arents, teachers and practitioners should be educated about the warning signs of violence and about the high likelihood of the co-occurrence of various types of childhood violence."
• "Violence prevention [and violence screening and services] could be integrated into existing HIV prevention programming..."
• From a study of a violence screening tool: "One of the key recommendations of the study was to develop a youth-friendly screening tool and referral system."

"The obligation for all States to work toward the elimination of violence against children is recognized by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Kenya in 1990. Efforts to prevent violence, therefore, form part of the government’s national commitment to uphold the right of each child to his or her human dignity and physical integrity. Subsequent analyses of the data will help drive even more targeted and focused responses and action."