TYPES OF DEFILEMENT SUFFERED BY BOYS AND GIRLS IN THIKA SUB-COUNTY

Abstract

Purpose: The study aimed at identifying the types of defilement suffered by boys and girls in Thika Sub-county.

Methods:  This study adopted a descriptive design to identify the types of defilement suffered by boys and girls in Thika Sub-county.  The target population of this study was school going children below 18 years old in selected public primary school of Thika Sub-county. Purposive sampling was used to get a sample of 190, being 30% of the target population of 630 pupils in Thika Sub-county. Two research instruments were considered in collecting the data. These were questionnaire and interviews schedule.  Quantitative data was obtained from pre-coded questions while qualitative data was obtained from open-ended questions and interview schedule responses. Both descriptive statistics and narrative reports were used to produce the analysis report presented in form of tables, graphs, and charts

Results: The study findings showed that both gender are not spared when it comes to child sexual abuse, because the number was almost equal. The boys and girls who are mostly sexually abused were in the age bracket between 13-15 years. The result also identified that identified that some subjects have been defiled, sodomized, touching of sexual organs (obscene), and others had been compelled to prostitution and incest. The age that was most vulnerable was between 6-10 years and the perpetrators are family members at 23.4%, peers 22.2%, neighbors 16.8% and house helps 6.5%.

Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended Children’s courts should be encouraged and set up at the lowest County levels. Courts of law should pronounce and give strong punishments to child defilers than giving simple punishments, and all courts should be able to handle defilement cases .Further the result recommended that Members of parliament should enhance Sexual offences laws that are strong and which are applicable to children as well that is should be amended for example defilement law, children’s rights

Keywords: Defilement, suffered, boys and girls, Thika sub county