Kenya - Together For Girls

Kenya - Together For Girls







Kenya has had significant declines in sexual, physical, and emotional violence against children and youth between the 2010 and 2019 Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS). Since 2010, Kenya has used VACS data to guide prevention of violence as well as HIV and AIDS as part of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The 2019 Kenya VACS, a repeat survey of the 2010 VACS, was led by the Government of Kenya and CDC as part of a partnership with Together for Girls. VACS is a national household survey that measures sexual, physical, and emotional, violence in children and youth ages 13 to 24.

How do the results of 2019 and 2010 VACS compare? Childhood sexual violence was 50% lower for females and 66% lower for males in 2019 than in 2010. Childhood physical violence was more than 40% lower for females and more than 25% lower for males in 2019 than in 2010. Childhood emotional violence was 50% lower for females and more than 80% lower for males in 2019 than in 2010. Despite this good news, we know that more work remains to be done. Any act of violence is one too many, and recent experiences of violence among youth ages 13 to 17 years old have increased. For VACS, experiences of violence occurring 12 months prior to the survey are defined as recent.  Recent experiences of unwanted attempted sex for adolescent girls ages 13 to 17 was 3% in 2010 compared to 9% in 2019. Unwanted attempted sex is defined as trying to make the victim have sex against their will (such as through physical force or coercion) but not succeeding. Recent experiences of physical violence for adolescent girls ages 13 to 17 was 18% in 2010 compared to 37% in 2019.