Purity Mwendwa Ndereva, AfricaNews reporter in Nairobi, Kenya
About 12,660 school girls have been abused by male teachers in the last five years, according to a new report from the Teachers Service Commission of Kenya. The report done in conjunction with the non-profit Centre for Rights Education and Awareness covered 2003 and 2007.
The report, launched on Monday said in some cases, teachers abused as many as 20 girls in a single school before they were reported. It indicated some teachers were serial sexual offenders and molested girls from one school to another because when caught they were simply transferred and no action was taken against them.
According to the report most cases have gone unreported and only 633 teachers were charged with sexual abuse in the five years covered by the study.
The report faulted the TSC over the punishment given to guilty teachers without taking into consideration the gravity of the case. “Teachers charged with multiple molestations, therefore, get the same punishment as those with a single one,” the report reiterated.
The report found out that more than 90 percent of sexual abuse cases never reached the TSC, meaning the cases were higher than indicated. Failure to report the cases to the TSC was attributed to collusion between teaching staff and education officials who often resorted to cover-ups.
In some cases, education officials and the offenders intimidated victims, the report added. Parents were also ignorant of TSC disciplinary procedures, and sometimes preferred to hush up the abuse for fear that their daughters would be stigmatized.
About 12,660 school girls have been abused by male teachers in the last five years, according to a new report from the Teachers Service Commission of Kenya. The report done in conjunction with the non-profit Centre for Rights Education and Awareness covered 2003 and 2007.
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