By Lamu Reporter
Lack of good parenting is the main reason cited as contributing to cases of gender violence in Lamu County.
This was revealed at a ceremony in Hindi town of Lamu County to mark the end of sixteen days against gender based violence where parents were blamed for abandoning their responsibilities for various reasons including poverty.
According to the deputy officer Commanding station of Hindi police station Ben Wambasi, parents have failed to take fully responsibility in raising their children.
“Some parents come back home very late at night and as a result they fail to monitor closely their children,” he said.
“It hurts me a lot when I hear that cases of sexual violence continue to be reported in this area”, said officer in charge of gender and child desk at Hindi police station Lillian Mbithe
Many cases of sexual violence are not being reported despite the fact that the cases are on the rise.
She said that the few who report incest cases fail to follow up the matters in court instead complainants end up vanishing
“Suspects of incest cases are normally booked as unknown, but the truth is that the suspect is usually known and could be a close relative to the victim either uncle or father”, she said bitterly.
“Am asking our able community of Hindi location. Let’s join hands and cooperate in ending these cases and bring justice to victims”, she urged.
She said that police officers have taken many cases to court but surprisingly the victim’s parents resolve to kangaroo courts.
“We write very good report and a P3 form is filled. But when the victims appears before the Court, they deny saying they don’t know the suspects, and this makes the cases to end at that point. You put us in a fixed position because we are seen to be very bad people”, she added.
According to a research she did, she said that there is no single girl in the area who does not have a kid.
“Mostly single mother and the main reason is that the biological father ran away from his responsibilities or perhaps the girl was being abused and finally decided to separate.
On her part, the director of the Lamu Women Alliance organization, Raya Famau said that early marriages and female genital mutilation are among the gender based violence affecting girls.
“As Muslims, our law says that you can get married when you reach puberty. But because the law of the land does not allow it, any girl underage who will be married off, those involved must face the law because you are not giving girls the chance to fulfill their dreams in education”, warned Famau.
Famau also condemned in strong terms possible those who sodomise young boys saying it’s a vice that is ongoing in Lamu.
