Our response to childhood sexual violence is part of the problem

I was 16 when I went to the office of a member of parliament to collect a bursary for my education.

I entered that room a young girl, full of hope and excitement for the future. I left stripped of my innocence and fearful of the world and people around me.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Goal 5: Gender Equality

Sexual violence against children is a silent global scourge. It is destroying the futures of children and adolescents everywhere. In my country, Kenya, the problem is particularly acute.

Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

And when I say the “problem” I am not talking only about the crime. I am also talking about our response to it.

My Experience and Actions

After I was raped, I felt completely alone. There was no one to help me cope with the physical impact the violent abuse had on my body. No one was there to hold my hand and walk with me through my emotional trauma. No one helped me at school, where my mind constantly played back the moment I had been forced to pay for my school fees with sex.

Growing up, I never dreamed of doing the work I do today. It was not my childhood ambition to set up a safe house for victims of sexual violence, but in 2014 that’s what I did, founding the Maisha Safe House for girls in Nairobi. It was never my mission to co-found the Brave Movement and unite survivors around the world in the fight against childhood sexual violence, but I have done that, too…

My experience made this path unavoidable. I could not sit by while other children had to navigate life after sexual violence alone as I did. I could not watch as my government, and governments around the world, avoided the responsibility that every state has to protect children and support survivors. And, on a personal level, I could not heal from my own trauma without helping others to heal from theirs.

The Problems with Our Response

Physical and Medical Needs Ignored

A key problem, especially in societies where sexual violence is still a taboo subject, is that the physical and medical needs of survivors, including children, are simply ignored.

It’s easy to jump straight to the quest for justice, and focus on questions like “How will she get justice?” or “Was his abuser caught?”. Justice is crucial – in its own right, for the safety of others, and for healing. But when the focus is only on law enforcement and court process, the emergency holistic health response children need after they have been violated can be forgotten. As a result, resourcing this response is forgotten, too.

The physical impacts of rape are severe. Too often I’ve seen young girls physically disfigured from rape.

Psychological Scars Last a Lifetime

Many of the girls I help have become pregnant as a result of the abuse they suffered. Every day I see the physical impact pregnancy has on these children’s bodies. Every day I witness their distress as they try to cope physically and mentally with nine long months of pregnancy. When a 12-year-old girl goes into labour it can be life-threatening. And even if she survives, her recovery often proves slow and painful. She struggles to walk properly, let alone run, play and dance as a child should.

Here in Kenya and elsewhere, most children are forced to carry these pregnancies to term, partially so that the babies they birth could serve as evidence in any criminal case that may be pursued against their abusers. But evidence and justice at what cost? At the expense of a child’s emotional and physical health? To me, that is not justice at all.

Societal Limitations and Obstacles

The trauma of sexual violence keeps victims silent for decades. In Kenya, only two of five females who have experienced childhood sexual violence tell someone about the incident. And even if they do speak up, only 10.7 percent successfully receive services for sexual violence.

What’s worse is that in many countries there is a time limit – criminal statutes of limitations – on prosecuting child sexual abuse crimes. The Brave Movement recently released a report on how these limitations are allowing child abusers in Europe to operate well into old age and denying survivors access to justice.

Although in Kenya we do not have these legal limitations on criminal cases, there are many societal limitations and obstacles to reporting childhood sexual violence. It is shocking that governments and authorities are failing to keep children safe from sexual violence, but what is even more shameful is the wilful perpetuation of a stigma that discredits the word of young women and children.

Justice and Reparation

Financial and Social Support

It is wrong to say that justice has been delivered when a perpetrator is jailed. Children who have been subjected to sexual violence have their futures stolen from them. Their education is cut short. They are shunned by their communities. They are left with babies to provide for without resources or income.

Justice is delivered only when survivors are given the financial and social support to reclaim their lives. And that must come from those responsible for creating a society in which children are not safe to thrive.

Call to Action

I have walked countless times to hospitals with girls who have been abused. Held hands in court with children forced to face their abusers. Been the arms teenagers fall into when they have been thrown out of home and left with no one to turn to.

The government in my country – just like many others around the world – is letting our children down. If those in positions of power cared for children, they all would be safe – they would be playing, they would be going to school. They would not be feeding babies as they stand in court

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The article discusses the issue of sexual violence against children, which is a violation of their rights and a barrier to achieving gender equality. It also highlights the need for justice, support, and protection for survivors, which aligns with SDG 16.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres
• SDG 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against children
• SDG 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all

The article emphasizes the need to address sexual violence against children and ensure their safety and well-being. This aligns with the targets of SDG 5.2 and SDG 16.2. Additionally, it highlights the importance of access to justice for survivors, which relates to SDG 16.3.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Percentage of reported cases of sexual violence against children
• Percentage of survivors receiving medical and psychological support services
• Number of prosecutions and convictions for child sexual abuse
• Percentage of survivors receiving financial and social support for reparation

The article mentions the low percentage of reported cases of childhood sexual violence and the limited access to services for survivors. These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the targets of SDG 5.2 and SDG 16.2. Additionally, the number of prosecutions and convictions for child sexual abuse can be an indicator of progress towards SDG 16.2. The provision of financial and social support to survivors can be measured to assess progress towards SDG 16.3.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: aljazeera.com

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