Prevalence of Sexual Abuse in Children Aged 5-8 Years in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) as a problem has been in existence throughout the world history and has remained a major global concern (Tower, 2010). It is an abhorred evil in every generation and a significant public health problem in every country that has attempted to measure it. The goal of this research was to establish the prevalence of sexual abuse in children aged 5-8 years in Nairobi City County. A social demographic questionnaire and an interview schedule were used to collect significant data from parents/guardians. This study used a descriptive survey design and the sampling technique was purposive. It was located in Nairobi City County. The study site was the Gender Violence Recovery Centre GVRC of the Nairobi Women’s Hospital. The target population comprised of sexually abused children and their parents/guardians. The independent variable for this study was CSA, while the dependent variable was parental perceptions of outcomes of CSA in early childhood education. The total sample size was ninety five (95) respondents. This included forty five children (45) who had experienced CSA and (45) of their parents/guardians. The research instruments were piloted on a randomly selected sample of five (5) sexually abused children aged 5-8 years, their parents/guardians and one key informant at Child line Kenya. Cross validity was determined through peer feedback and content validity through expert opinion. Reliability was established through pilot testing of the instruments to ensure clarity and adequacy of items. The study instruments included interview schedules for children and parents/guardians. The study yielded qualitative data which was analysed thematically guided by study objectives. Further, descriptive statistics were generated using percentages, frequencies and means. Results were presented in tables, figures and texts. Key findings showed that prevalence of sexual abuse among children aged 5-8 years in Nairobi City County, which was at 78% for girls and 22% for boys. The study recommended measures to protect children from the CSA vice. One of the key recommendations is life skills which should be included in school curriculums so as empower children to protect themselves from sexual encroachments.