ETIOLOGY OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AMONG PUPILS IN EMESA SUB-LOCATION KISII COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is both a social and public health concern locally and globally. A mutual mistaken belief on child sexual abuse is that, it is uncommon occurrence committed against girls by male strangers in both rural and urban areas in Kenya. Notwithstanding myriad research on CSA, little is known about its etiology. In the recent past in Kenya, sexual abuse has been noted in schools most of which the perpetrators go scot-free. It occurs at all levels of the society affecting not only girls but also boys. The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate the etiology of child sexual abuse among pupils in Emesa sub-location. The study was based on four objectives, that is; to identify the etiology of sexual abuse among pupils in Emesa sub-location in Kisii county, to determine the prevalence rate of sexual abuse among pupils in Emesa sub-location, to explore the awareness level of pupils about sexual abuse in Emesa Sub-location in Kisii County and to examine mitigation strategies of sexual abuse among pupils in Emesa Sublocation in Kisii County. The study was informed by the Attachment Theory which suggests that children’s lives are centered initially on their parents, the family environment being their primary agent of socialization. Systematic random sampling was used to select the respondents to ensure that the sample was a representative. The study utilized descriptive survey design. The target population was 700 pupils out of which a sample size of 100 (14 percent) pupils was selected from three primary schools in Emesa Sublocation, which include: Kabonyo, Nyabisase and Emesa primary schools. The study used questionnaires and interview schedules as tools for data collection. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed by textual analysis and the use of descriptive statistics using SPSS and presented through percentages, means, standard deviations and frequencies respectively. There is a significant relationship between the etiology and child sexual abuse since 80.9% of the respondents agreed walking to school, pornographic content in mobile phones and TVs, parental negligence, single parenthood, orphanage, social disorganization and poverty are the main causes of CSA. The study found out that threats from perpetrators were preventing the disclosure of child sexual abuse. The research recommends that research, programs and policies should focus on child protection. The patriarchal narrative of manhood needs to change and boys should read from a different script on their roles and place in the society. A dialogue on what it means to be a man, woman, boy or girl and socially assigned roles should be started. Finally, additional research is needed to identify potential protective contextual factors that can be utilized to dissuade adults from sexually exploiting children. The beneficiary of this study are teachers, parents, clan elders and social administrators. This study contributed to the knowledge base on the etiology of child sexual abuse, shedding light on the mitigation strategies and informing on culturally competent practice preventing child sexual abuse