Many children in Kenya are dying everyday as result of violence, abuse and neglect. Many of these violations go unreported which makes it hard to quantify the exact number of children affected. This is according to Millie Odhiambo, right, a lawyer and child’s rights activist in Kenya.
(27-JUL-2006)
This article by Elizabeth Mwai and Dan Okoth appeared in the in Saturday Standard of 22-JUL-2006. It has been edited and supplemented for publication here by HR/ Martin Oluoch, coordinator Human Rights House project Nairobi who also attended the function.
Millie Odhiambo, the Executive Director of CRADLE a child’s right organisation- a member organisation of the Human Rights House Project in Nairobi raised these concerns during the launch of the national campaign on violence against children at a Nairobi hotel last week.
Ignorance
Millie said that cases of child abuses are not reported because they are not considered newsworthy and largely as a result of ignorance. She however on a positive note observed that the numerous reports of child abuse in Naivasha district indicated growing community awareness on the need to report such incidences. “failing to give children proper medical attention; abandonment and neglect has led to the high mortality of children particularly in rural and remote areas” she added.
Rape on the increase
Judy Odour, the chief children officer at the National Council for Children told the meeting that about 61% of children were being abused in one way or another daily. She lamented that rape and defilement was becoming a major form of child abuse. The Vice President Moody Awori will launch the main campaign on thursday 27th 2006 at the Kibera slum in Nairobi.
