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
Pervasiveness. 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 pervasiveness rate of child sexual abuse among pupils during the COVID19 pandemic.The COVID-19 plague is a international historic incident that will remain to affect approximately
every facet of ordinary life, including affecting our economic, political, and health-careEco-systems. 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 study population was 700 pupils out of which a sample size of 100 (14 percent) pupils was
selected. The study used questionnaires administered to each respondent. The researcher administered the
questionnaires individually to all respondents. 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.
Key Words: Attachment theory, Patriarchal narrative, Socialization, perpetrators. COVID-19
