Breaking the Cycle: Addressing Violence Against Children in Kenya

By Tabitha Marion 

In Kenya, approximately 50% of children have experienced violence at some point during their childhood. This issue has often been compared to a sacred cow—an uncomfortable topic that many avoid confronting.

What Is Violence Against Children?  

When we think of violence, our minds often drift into a range of possibilities. Some people even believe that as long as children are with their parents, they are safe from harm. However, violence against children is far more complex and pervasive than that.

Consider these examples:  

The parents next door might make shouting and fighting their favorite after-work activity. Another child’s mother uses insults as her primary form of communication. The lanky boy who often asks for money has a father whose primary concern is getting drunk, often leaving him to fend for himself. 

The quiet girl down the street has been sexually abused multiple times before her parents even found out. Two boisterous boys from the estate were severely caned at school for failing a test they hadn’t been prepared for. 

The girl crying next door was bullied by her peers, confined to the restroom until dusk, forced to clean up after them. Then there’s Juma, the estate’s notoriously rowdy boy, who stopped speaking after falling into the school lavatory. 

The cycle of violence seems never-ending, and the fear for our children is ever-present.

The Reality of Violence Against Children  

According to a national survey conducted by UNICEF and published on UNICEF.org, half of Kenyan children have experienced violence. This stark statistic paints an accurate picture of the situation in our country—both for adults and children. The saying “we reap what we sow” should make us worry about the future of our children. 

Many adults in our society carry deep emotional scars from the violence they experienced as children. These wounds often lead to tragic outcomes, such as suicide or acts of violence against others. If we trace the root of this behavior, it often goes back to witnessing or experiencing violence in the home, when parents fought or behaved abusively.

What Must Be Done?  

This situation is a wake-up call: we must save ourselves and our children. In this cycle of violence, anyone can be either the prey or the predator. We need to create a safe environment where children can express their pain without fear of retaliation.

To parents, I say this: we need to better understand our children. That seemingly harmless joke, that unusual silence—they could be signs of something deeper. Their violent outbursts or odd behavior could be the result of trauma. Though it may be difficult, we must pay closer attention. This requires both compassion and clear-headedness from parents.

But it’s not just about the family. Many children experience violence not because of what happens at home, but because of what they witness outside. Street fights, break-ins, and violent crimes—children see these things and internalize them. 

Public insults and threats have become common. Exposure to sexual violence is as easy as clicking on the wrong link online. The problems in our society are buried, leaving children to absorb this toxicity, which they may regurgitate later in life.

Religious institutions, too, have a role to play. It’s not enough to follow the adage, "train a child in the way he should go." Children need love and care to thrive, whether or not they explicitly ask for it.

Moving Forward  

Stopping child abuse shouldn’t be just a slogan; it must be actively pursued by all of us.