1,000 Kenyan Teachers Fired for Sexually Abusing Young Girls

More than 1,000 teachers have been fired for sexually abusing girls over the last two years, according to a new report from the Kenyan government. Last year, 600 teachers were dismissed over allegations of sexual abuse, and 500 more have been let go this year. The allegations range from inappropriate kissing and touching to impregnating girls as young as 12.

Although the number of reported cases represents less than half of 1 percent of Kenya’s 240,000 teachers, the firings underscore a serious epidemic of sexual abuse in the country, say child advocacy and women’s rights groups.

“In this year’s report of abuse in relation to children, sexual violence topped the list at 86 percent,” said Brian Weke, the program manager of the Cradle, a Kenyan child advocacy group. The report states the highest number of abusers were fathers, followed closely by neighbors and teachers. Weke said he’d witnessed the abuse himself while visiting an elementary school in western Kenya where a teacher had impregnated at least 10 girls.

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Technically, it is against Kenyan law for an adult to have sex with a minor under the age of 18, but the law is hard to enforce, particularly in rural areas. The victim’s family has to press charges and become heavily involved in the investigation, so most accused sexual abusers escape prosecution.

In the case of teachers, the accused and school officials often pay off the the girl’s family, who is often poor, to keep the family from prosecuting.

Education for girls, particularly in rural areas of Kenya, still remains a struggle. Once they reach their preteen years, girls are kept at home to help their mothers care for younger siblings, carry water and maintain the household. In some communities, tradition still dictates that teenage girls can be married off by their parents. A girl attending school who’s from a poor, uneducated family is especially vulnerable to abuse.

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