About a few days ago, I was tuned in to the news bulletin on classic105, and the what I heard there left me gob smacked. Teenage girls in Nairobi were already engaging in sex at a very tender age, an average age of 14.
This was according to a study released by Nairobi Brain Trust (NBT) Network that revealed that youth aged 10-29 were sexually active. The research uncovered that 19 percent of the girls out of the 255 girls interviewed from the six residential areas in Nairobi were also engaging in prostitution.
According to the Kenyan Forum, It was also said that 13,000 Kenyan girls leave school every year due to unplanned pregnancies and also that the youth account for 50% of new infections each year
This got me wondering where we the adults have gone wrong that our children are already having sex at the average age of 14! What does a teenager really know about sex? Yes their body is ready for sex but I don’t think that they are psychologically ready for it.So what could be causing this sad turn of events?
Well, in my opinion, children are being exposed to explicit sexual information and images at a very young age especially due to the internet that makes explicit information readily available
Poor relationships between parents and their children and parents delegating all childcare roles to the house helps who at times cannot be trusted.
Teenagers especially girls from single families are looking for a father figure, hence are taken advantage of by leering older men
Lack of role models as parents and siblings are engaging sexually without hiding. This is especially rampant in slums where the children share a tiny room with the parents and are separated from the sexual activities of their parents by a sheet of cloth
Negative Peer pressure-Children are being pressured by their peers to engage in sex, virginity is no longer a virtue, its seen as a disgrace
Parents putting a ban to everything and not explaining why they are banning it. This will only heighten the curiosity of the child. If you are going to forbid something, explain why you are doing it
Poverty: This is the main factor that is leading girls as young as 12 into prostitution.
I believe the following things could curb the problem:
Be there for your child, even if it’s just for an hour. Let your children know that they can talk to you about anything even sex. It’s a delicate subject but I think it’s time we stop using the birds and bees and be blunt with our children, the last thing you want is your child getting information about sex from unreliable sources. If the idea of educating your child about sex makes you sick to your stomach ,get someone responsible to talk to them about it
If you are a single mum, make sure your child has a strong father figure for example a grandfather or uncle to look up to so your child does not feel the need to search for a father figure
Be a good role model for your child. Your child looking or a role model in Video Vixens or socialites is the last thing you want, if your child feels the need to go outside to search for a role model, it means that you have unfortunately failed as a parent/guardian.
Society is unfortunately allowing a lot of things to fly; we are allowing our children to be exposed to a lot of PG 18 material. We are also exposing children to a lot of explicit material especially during family events such as Blankets and Wine and Sevens. Be a responsible adult even if it’s not your child and behave responsibly in front of a youngster.
Teach your kid to be themselves,teach them that not fitting in is okay,what is more important is being themselves and thinking for themselves a
To deal with poverty, we should first put a pause to the “naomba serikali” anthem that we Kenyans have adopted and realize that sometimes the government can’t help us, we have to help ourselves. This can be done through Creating an organized group within the community to help many people For example Furaha Community Foundation in Huruma who provide both High school and Secondary education to needy children, they also provide ‘small’ loans to people in the community to enable them to participate in businesses such as selling chapatis, baskets e.t.c. Women are also trained in dressmaking and other activities to enable them to become self sufficient and cater for their children.
The process of saving our children from early pregnancy,abortion and HIV is not a trouble-free and short–termed process. It will take time but I believe that if we all work together with our children we can ensure ensuring that our children live to become the Lupita Nyong’os of the world
