Factors Contributing To Increase In Child Abuse In Kenya Towns: A Case Study Of Majengo Estate In Narok Town

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine factors contributing to increase in child abuse in Kenya towns. The specific objective of the study were;- to determine how social factors contribute to child abuse, to establish how economic factors contribute to child abuse, to identify the influence of cultural factors on the growth of child abuse and to examine how political factors contribute to child abuse in Majengo Estate in Narok Town. The study will be of significance as it will help the health ministry, labour and social security protection to better understand the current situation and accordingly make changes to address the causes of child abuse in Kenya towns. The study used a descriptive research design, where the target population was 30 respondents. Questionnaire was the main instrument used to collect data and data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented using frequency tables, pie charts and percentages. The findings revealed that social factors, economic factors, cultural factors and political factors contribute significantly to increase in child abuse in towns. The study recommends that Preventive action should be given priority and any intervention should be diverse, recognizing the individuality of each child, and especially the specific needs of girls. A clamp down by the county government on child prostitution is necessary. Paternal orphans, who are often ignored because they are not captured by official orphans statistics, should get more attention, because these children appear to be highly vulnerable to severing family ties leading to child abuse. The study also recommends that sensitization of the community on the benefits of lean manageable families against the cultural desire for large families also empowering of women to uplift their social status because this would enable women to be economically stable and thus be able to take care of their children