Save minors in cells from defilement

The recent incident in Kakamega County, where a police officer allegedly defiled a detained 16-year-old girl, is devastating.

The minor was reportedly taken to the cells by her parents as punishment for sneaking out from home to visit her boyfriend. A similar case was reported in January in Narok.

For six years in a row, the debilitating trend has hit the headlines. It cries for intervention.

Basically, police are the first people victims of sexual assault contact as they have to be issued with the Kenya Police Medical Examination P3 form. This is filled by a health practitioner and a police officer to confirm that the victim was, indeed, sexually assaulted. Simply put, their approval confirms the security of the victim and, perhaps, assures them of justice. So when the protectors turn into sex pests, it is worrying.

It high time we took the matter seriously and came up with possible solutions that will aid in curbing recurrence of such incidents. Talk culture should be embraced within prisons to help inmates speak out their issues without fear with their pleas taken seriously. That will limit defilement cases for many victims fear to speak out.

Gaps in criminal law procedure and inadequate responses of justice should be filled up. The system should respond efficiently and effectively in favour of victims as a lesson to individuals with similar character as the perpetrators’. There’s also a need to review the laws and policies and outline the roles and responsibilities for various service providers and supervisory and accountability measures to all sectors.

It’s important to ensure mental wellness of security officers. Often, it is ‘normal’ for a person grappling with mental illness to commit suicide or harm others. Increased mental issues among the police officers may be linked to repeated exposure to stressors. They, too, are human.

Ms Namarome is a communication student at Rongo University. [email protected].