Child sex trafficking still high in Coast – IJM Over 20, 000 girls and boys are victims of different forms of child sex trafficking in the region
Child sex trafficking is increasingly prevalent at the Coast, the International Justice Mission has said.
According to a 2019 survey by IJM, an estimated 20,000 girls and boys were victims of different forms of child sex trafficking in Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale.
Last year, the numbers dropped to about 6,000 because of the Covid-19 containment measures, which restricted movement.
IJM senior manager Aggrey Juma said the southern part of the Coast remains a major child sex trafficking hotspot.
Juma said levels of poverty among coastal communities and lack of adequate livelihood alternatives have contributed to an increase in sex trafficking.
“We also observed that the crime is facilitated by family members, friends and community members, tourists as well as strangers who act as recruiters, agents, pimps and transporters. While some customers are foreign investors, the majority are locals and many engage with individual victims on a long-term basis,” Juma said.
In the coastal communities, 40 per cent of the population live on less than $2 (about Sh225) per day and many children and their parents are forced into differing forms of exploitation in exchange for money and essential goods and services.
“Child sex trafficking remains one of the most prevalent violations against children, but due to its clandestine and criminal nature, cases frequently go undetected or unreported,” Juma said.
He said some local and international tourists take advantage of young people.
“We have high prevalence rate of child sex trafficking at the Coast compared to other regions because of a number of factors. The poverty levels and the tourists who come to the region and see an opportunity to engage in sex with children. A lot of children face exploitation,” Juma said.
He was speaking during the inaugural annual conference on child sex trafficking at the Coast at PrideInn Hotel Mombasa.
The conference seeks to facilitate dialogue, debate, and awareness about child sex trafficking at the Kenyan Coast and factors that influence its prevalence and the challenges that actors have faced.
In 2018, the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations handled 3,160 cases.
In 2019, the unit handled 4,133 cases.
https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/coast/2021-11-29-child-sex-trafficking-still-high-in-coast-ijm/