The Homa Bay government has urged residents to collaborate in the fight against the triple threat reportedly on the rise in the county.
The triple threat consists of defilement, HIV-Aids and Sexual Gender Based Violence. Homa Bay is among the counties leading in teen pregnancies, mostly caused by defilement.
Teen pregnancy and sexual gender-based violence hinder Homa Bay girls from achieving their academic dream as some drop out of school.
Its rise has raised concerns as professionals call for concerted efforts to thwart it. Public health chief officer Evelyn Ododa and Tiko-Kenya country director Leah Wanaswa said the fight cannot be won individually.
She said they are working with stakeholders to fight against the triple threat, which have ruined the future of many girls in the county.
“Teen pregnancy is still a great challenge to the education and social development of girls in Homa Bay. We’re asking residents to cooperate in the fight against it because most defilement cases are linked to incest,” Ododa said.
She said they are also working closely with the police, the Judiciary and national government administration officials to tackle the vices.
Ododa spoke during a sensitisation programme at Konyango Rabuor in Kwabwai ward, Ndhiwa constituency. Parents, religious leaders and civil society have also been brought on board.
During the meeting, it was discovered that negligence by parents predisposes girls to defilement. Some parents send girls out of home at night while some engage in child labour.
“Such things make the girls susceptible and they fall into the hands of sex predators. Academic performance of such girls is usually poor,” Ododa said.
She urged parents not to abdicate their responsibilities to children. Residents said some parents view the role of meeting the needs of children as a responsibility of one parent.
“A concern has been raised here that there are many families where fathers feel it is the responsibility of mothers to take care of their children. This also leads to defilement because it makes the girls lack support of one parent,” Ododa said.
The Homa Bay government had established a sexual and gender-based violence policy to guide the fight against the vice.
