This was the question in a stakeholders' meeting on Friday trying to find a better way of ensuring that the 12-year-old who was defiled by a 35-old-man in Kathanganta village, Njoro found justice.
The meeting that brought together children's rights representatives, children affairs representatives, FIDA representatives and county children representative office saw a majority of speakers lament over a rise of uncouth behaviours subjecting innocent children to untold suffering.
Nancy Jerono, a children’s representative in the county, decried cases of child defilement saying that the vice was slowly taking root in slums and other remote villages.
“It’s like our societies have ignored the traditional African family setting because nowadays, the cases we receive of parents defiling their own children are wanting,” she said, adding that such cases need to accompany stiff penalties that will help ensure the accused receive justice.
“The idea of solving such cases out of court should not be accepted because it’s at family level that the child is forced to forgive the perpetrator forcing him or her to live with the pain for life,” she said.
County children affairs officer Catherine Khakayi noted that her office was ready to take up such cases and ensure that such children justice.
“The problem is that such cases are not brought to the limelight so that the relevant authorities takes them up, we call on anybody feeling oppressed or in the know of any child who is secretly suffering to come and report the matter to our offices for follow-up and adequate action,” she explained.
She expressed confidence that the fight against child labour, defilement and early pregnancy was on the right track in the county, saying that through outreach programmes and capacity building, such cases were not so rampant.
On Thursday, a 35-year-old man accused of defiling a minor stunned a Nakuru court after claiming that the 12-year-old girl was his wife.
“How on earth is this possible in a civilised society? She wondered, adding that such people should not be released on bond.
The officers promised to ensure the accused child gets state protection before pushing for the case until justice is realised.