Stigma, ignorance fuelling silent abuse of boys, advocates say

Legal and child rights advocates have warned that cultural attitudes and institutional failures are allowing sexual abuse of boys to go largely unreported in Kenya.

Speaking on Spice FM on Thursday, advocate of the High Court Levis Kagiri and children's advocate Fridah Mutinda said ignorance among parents and victims ranks among the biggest barriers to reporting.

"The way society perceives the boys to grow up and be men and all that manner of things is the biggest contributor to the lack of reporting," noted Kagiri.

He said cultural conditioning, which demands that boys be masculine and avoid showing vulnerability, compounds the problem, with even parents refusing to believe their children when abuse is disclosed.

"The way we have been brought up among Africans that our boys have to be masculine, protectors, and not to be weak, and when these matters are sometimes reported, even parents don't want to believe," he added.

He further observed that most abuse of boys occurs within close family and social circles, making reporting even harder.

"Some of these abuses happen in very close circles by brothers, by sisters, by parents, by very close associates, and because of the closeness, then it becomes difficult to report," said Kagiri.

Kagiri also accused some religious leaders of perpetrating abuse, and trained his sights on the judiciary and police, alleging that officers mock victims who come to record statements, a charge that points to systemic failure at the very institutions meant to deliver justice.

Mutinda observed that awareness campaigns have historically centred on girls, leaving boys in a blind spot.

"We need to up our game in the sensitisation and a multi-sectoral approach, we need the police, children actors, and the health people, so we need a bit more of the sensitisation," she urged.

Both advocates called on parents to foster open communication with their children and flagged unregulated digital content as a contributing factor to abuse.

Mutinda warned parents to watch for behavioural shifts in boys, including social withdrawal, a change in gait, irritability and the return of childhood habits such as bed-wetting, describing these as warning signs that should prompt immediate action.