A police station. Residents have been urged to report perpetrators of sexual abuse for action to be taken. [Photo/ standardmedia.co.ke]
Kisumu County Director of Gender Jane Obiero has decried an increase in the number of sexual abuse cases in the Lakeside city.Obiero said many cases of sexual abuse in the county go unreported, making it hard for police to arrest the culprits.Speaking on Tuesday during the County Gender Technical Working Group (GTWG) forum, Obiero said more than forty suspected rapists are said to be roaming free in Seme, Kisumu County.Obiero said the residents are not willing to identify the culprits over fear of being attacked as witnesses or victims cannot freely give their accounts in court.She said it is impossible for anyone to give evidence in a sensitive case unless their safety is guaranteed.Obiero appealed to the security agencies to ensure that victims and witnesses are provided with enough security so that they can testify without fear of reprisal and threats to their lives.“More than 40 girls have been sexually violated by wife inheritors and also their relatives. I urge the local residents especially the victims to expose the criminals who should face the law,” said the director.Japheth Terer, the facilitator from the Health Department said that the county has received cases of sexually related Gender Based Violence (SGBV) which have been reported in health centres.He said the seven sub-counties of Muhoroni, Kisumu East, Kisumu West, Seme, Nyando, Nyakach and Kisumu Central computed a high reporting rate of 80 percent in all health centers in the County.“In 2017, there were 371 reported SGBV cases out of which only 310 survivors successfully went through the Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP),” he said.