Unicef report highlights child prostitution at the Kenyan Coast

By PASCAL MWANDAMBO

MOMBASA COUNTY: Child prostitution is among key challenges facing the education sector in Coast region.

A United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) report titled The Extent and Effect of Sex Tourism and Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Kenyan Coast, shows there is a steady rise in school dropouts in the region as girls from poor families fall prey to prostitution.

The boys have not been spared either as they drop out of school after being lured by rich female tourists, lazing around the beaches.

 “In Kenya, nearly 30 per cent of children between the ages of 12 and 18 years are engaged in child prostitution. Most of these children can be found in urban areas. The practice is most prevalent at the Coast which is a favourite haunt for paedophiles disguised as tourists.

SHOCKING FINDINGS

Although sexual exploitation of children is a criminal offence under Kenya’s penal code and the Children’s Act, this study has found an extremely high level of acceptance of commercial sexual abuse by those most closely involved with children including parents” the report says.

The report points out that the promise of easy money has seen underage girls registering for identity cards to falsify their ages and be allowed to gain entry into hotels and entertainment spots. It further reveals that 76.3 per cent of girls interviewed said the practice is a “normal and acceptable means to earn a living”.

 In more shocking findings, 35.5 per cent of the girls and boys interviewed for the study said they have unprotected sex when their clients demand it.

 Locals tolerate this type of sexual exploitation because they claim “nothing gets a family out of poverty faster than a daughter who has a white boyfriend.” 

In many cases, girls are actually encouraged by their parents and relatives to look for older white men.

THE NUMBERS

The study indicates that up to 30 per cent of all the 12 to 18-year-olds living in the coastal areas of Malindi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Diani are involved in casual sex work. As such, it is estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 girls living in these areas are being sexually exploited.

A further 2,000 to 3,000 girls and boys are sexually exploited year-round by sex tourists, in these same areas. Other estimates suggest that as many as 30,000 girls between the ages of 12 and 14 are lured into hotels and private villas to be sexually exploited.

The study also found that child prostitution incidents go unreported, but when they’re brought to light, authorities downplay the gravity of the matter  for fear that the already fragile tourism industry in Mombasa would be further affected.