The nursing officer-in-charge of gender-based violence at the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital Teophila Murage has sounded the alarm over the rising cases of sexual abuse among children in Nakuru County.
“Cases of sexual abuse in Nakuru are on the rise and the trend is worrying,” said Murage.
She called on the county government to increase awareness campaigns to contain the situation.
“Awareness is one of the preventive measures that can be taken to assist children from falling into the trap of sexual abuse,” said Murage.
She urged residents to help in tackling sexual abuse by reporting to the police the culprits.
“This is one way of preventing our children from sex predators and you will be making better decisions to keep them safe,” said Murage
Speaking on Wednesday at the hospital during a consultative meeting with stakeholders in the children department, the nursing officer called for tough action against the offenders.
“The government should deal ruthlessly with perpetrators of sexual abuse so as to deter those with the intention of committing the offence,” she said.
She noted that the perpetrators of sexual abuse are usually family members who later evade justice after opting for kangaroo courts with the families of the sex victims.
“About 50 per cent of perpetrators of child sexual abuse are family members while about 30 per cent is perpetrated by strangers,” she noted.
She also decried the Internet-based predators and urged parents to take charge of their teens who are in the danger of falling victims.