A recent report has revealed that 55% of school-going children in the country accessed pornography online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the study conducted by the Ministry of Public Affairs, Gender and Senior Citizens in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the latest statistics are the highest ever recorded in the country.
The study which was made public on Wednesday, June 8 further attributed the vice to the easy accessibility of the internet by school-going children as they used laptops, smartphones and computers for virtual learning and recreational purposes during the pandemic.
Research by the two bodies pointed out that three in ten households in the country have access to the world wide web, Kenya having recorded the highest internet penetration in Africa as of 2020, the year COVID-19 virus brought the world to a standstill.
“As you all know, the internet is a powerful tool when it comes to connecting, learning, to engage in a creative and empowering way but spending more time online inevitably brings increased risks and threats of harm to children, some of which are very unique to the online context,” Maniza Zaman, the Deputy Director of UNICEF in Kenya said.
The research conducted in 13 countries further revealed that internet using children in Kenya are regularly subjected to sexual abuse by someone they already know making it difficult for them to report due to fear of stigma from the abusers.
“6% of Kenyan children have already shared images and videos of their bodies with other internet users. 14% of them have gone ahead and met the persons/ strangers they first encountered online. The risk of abuse is obvious,” Zaman added.
Facebook and WhatsApp were ranked as the most popular Social Media platforms where minors were subjected to sexual abuse with the report adding that law enforcement, justice and social support systems have inadequate awareness, capacity and resources to respond to cases of online sexual abuse among minors.
However, the Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Senior Citizens has launched a national plan of action on online child abuse exploitation meant to address all forms of exploitation against children between the ages of 2022 and 2026.
