Federation of Women Lawyers Kenya (FIDA) has faulted recent remarks by the Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha about teacher-student affairs.
Magoha had earlier quipped on July 17, 2021, that female students should not agree to teachers’ advances in a bid to reduce teen pregnancies in schools.
"It's the Ministry’s responsibility, working with the National Assembly and other stakeholders, to develop and strengthen laws and policies & to increase access to justice, health, education, and social services that help protect children," FIDA Castigated Magoha in a tweet on July 22, 2021.
“We would like to remind the CS Prof. Magoha that school students are children and it is the duty of the state to protect them from sexual predators and to keep the learning environment safe.”FIDA Chairperson Nancy Ikinu remarked in a statement.
She pointed out that teachers who are nabbed after having taken part in illicit relationships with their students should face the full brunt of the law.
“The most appropriate action is severe punishment for such teachers to serve as deterrence to other would-be violators. These children are victims and have a right to full protection while the perpetrators should face the full wrath of the law,” stated Nancy.
She further went on to quote legislations that bar teachers from forging relationships with young learners.
“Several laws, including the Children's Act and the Sexual Offences Act, criminalize sexual engagement with children under the age of 18, and in 2010, the TSC issued guidelines designed to protect children from sexual abuse in schools.”
“The new rules ban students from visiting teachers' homes, warn teachers against using the promise of academic progress to coerce children into sexual liaisons, and stipulate that any sexual abuse of a child should be reported to the Commission within 24 hours,” She wrote.
She further urged the Ministry of Education and schools to put measures within their systems that make it easy for victims to report abuse without feeling intimidated.
Nancy further noted that teenage pregnancies have been on the rise citing that Kenya was ranked 3rd in the Global Childhood report of 2019 in matters of teenage pregnancies.
Nancy maintained that schools are the second-highest affected by this vice after the family set-up in matters of sexual abuse to children.
