Most young girls are impregnated by older men

Before he launched Hope in Life in 2017, Cosmas Mutua had seen many dejected teenagers turned into early mothers or left pregnant through defilement.

Whether a girl gets pregnant in early marriage, through a boyfriend or forced intimacy, by virtue of Section 8 (1) of the Sexual Offences Act (2006), all the circumstances sum up to defilement since it’s a child.

Between 2006 and 2012, he worked with a regional non-profit organisation devoted to reproductive justice. He was posted to Rift Valley region to lead a team implementing HIV prevention programs.

They spent most of their time in Kaptembwo and Kwa Rhonda, some of the low income settlements in Nakuru County. Here, he met hundreds of teenage mothers in disturbing situations.

“I interacted with so many girls whose experiences left me unsettled. They were victims of sexual abuse and some had turned out HIV positive, and they didn’t know what to do or who to reach out to for help,” he says.

At some point, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and United Nations Children's Fund trained him on response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). And in 2007/8, upon his exit from the non-profit organisation, he used the skills to offer psychosocial support to SGBV survivors in Nakuru County.

The exposure to the survivors, who included teenagers, opened his heart to more heartache. He realised it was time for him to take action and save the hurting teenagers.

At Hope in Life, they work with teenagers to rebuild their lives by responding to their mental health, HIV, menstrual health and economic empowerment needs.

“For those who cannot resume school, we equip them with business skills to venture into preferable businesses to reduce their vulnerability,” says Mr Mutua who is also the chairperson of Nakuru Child Rights Network.

Every month, they are also welcome to attend a psychosocial session at the facility.

Presently, 150 of them aged 12-18 from Nakuru East and Nakuru West sub-counties are benefitting from the psychosocial sessions, which helps them to love themselves, find a new meaning in life and hope in the fresh beginnings. 

Most of the adolescents his organisation has supported are impregnated by older men - often neighbours, religious leaders, boda boda riders and matatu touts.

The attitude by fellow neighbours that “it’s none of my business”, has taken away the power of many abused girls from getting justice since there are no witnesses to offer evidence in court.

“It is disheartening that these perpetrators are well known to the neighbours but nobody is willing to support the survivor. Nobody cares. Prosecution is about witnesses and evidence,” he says.

Boda boda riders are also preying on school girls.

“I have interacted with a boda boda rider who told me he ferries a Form Two student to and from school without charge, but over the weekend, she pays him with being intimate with him,” he says.

Kenya has a law on sexual offences that prohibits violation of a child or an adult, and prescribes punishment of up to life imprisonment.

Even with this highly punitive measure, perpetrators continue with their abuse and escape the wrath of the law due to reasons Mr Mutua is familiar with.

“We have laws and sensitisation has been done, but there are major roadblocks to their implementation. First are the law enforcement officers…they are blocking survivors' access to justice - a case is reported but the police are compromised and the perpetrator goes scot-free,” he says.

“Second are the chiefs in the communities; they are the first point of reporting but then some cover the perpetrators or distort the evidence.”

“Third is the society - like in the cases I’ve mentioned, the neighbours know very well that another neighbour is defiling a girl but instead of reporting or presenting themselves to witness, they just murmur among themselves and do nothing. ”

He says: “I also blame parents. We have ‘parents whom I call  present with apology parents’, those who live with their children but they have no clue about the whereabouts of their children or what they are doing, or what they are watching on their mobile phones. They get shocked to see their daughter pregnant and start asking ‘how did it happen?’”

Throughout the year, Mr Mutua also mobilises dignity packs, which comprise an unperfumed bar of soap, two underwear, 12 packs of the sanitary towels, and information pack on menstrual health. They are then given to women and girls who are least likely to afford them in nine sub-counties within Nakuru County. These are Naivasha, Gilgil, Nakuru East, Nakuru West, Subukia, Njoro, Molo, Kuresoi North and Bahati.

More than 3,000 women and girls have since benefitted from the initiative.

Mr Mutua is encouraged to continue fighting for the rights of girls whenever he sees men, especially leaders going out of their way to offer dignity packs in volumes.

“It means they are receptive to the fact that the girls need our support. That tells me that they are listening to us and are committed to creating a conducive environment for the women and girls to live a fulfilling life,” he notes.

“I’m also delighted that parents who never budgeted for the pads are now adding them to the list of necessities for their daughters. This shows that we are heading somewhere.”

His work has, however, turned him into a punching bag for some members of the communities who are yet to see that empowering the girls is essential to creating sustainable communities free from hunger, poverty, and diseases among many challenges that come with disempowered girls.

“I often tell them ‘look at the data. It tells us that women and girls are more vulnerable than men and boys. Should we ignore that fact and do nothing?’”

Mr Mutua who sits on the board of  Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children Rights, proposes holding regular edutainment initiatives such as roadshows to “entertain people as you educate them,” about their role in ending violence against all gender.

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