Tharaka Nithi County First Lady H.E Margaret Muthomi on Friday, 28 April 2023 led a community dialogue on the elimination of the Triple Threat and launch of the Jiinue Initiative held at Chuka picnic grounds.
The county government in collaboration with the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) and the Anti-FGM board carried out sessions on elimination of the triple threat; HIV/STI infections, Sexual & Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Teenage pregnancies.
The First Lady in her speech noted that the campaign against Tripple Threat was only possible through a multi-sectoral approach towards campaigns to empower, equip and build firm future foundations.
“We need to work together to eradicate early HIV infections, teenage pregnancies and sexual & gender-based violence to build firm foundations for the future. Through collaborative campaigns, we will equip and empower a generation with knowledge on preventive measures and together reduce cases of the triple threat”, she said.
National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) Director General Sheikh Mohamed acknowledged that teenage pregnancies were a national issue that had impact on national development, adding that it affected prime youth and derailed national aspirations such as the vision 2030.
Anti-FGM Board Chair Ipato Surum Korema noted that women were a major contribution to FGM cases in the society, asking them to take responsibility as she called on the men to join in the fight against the vice.
“Without fighting FGM, we will not win the war on teenage pregnancies. After FGM, girls feel mature and ready for marriage, causing early pregnancies that bring about complications such as fistula”, she said.
Representing the County Commissioner, DCC Nkaduda Hiribae faulted parents and guardians for reporting defilement cases late, stating it was their wish as the national government to have the cases reported in due time to allow investigations and arrests.
His statements were echoed by Area MCA Godfrey Gaturo who also called for men to speak up against gender-based violence.
The event was also attended by National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) CEO Ruth Laibon Masha.
According to NSDCC, HIV is among the leading causes of death among adolescents with an estimated 98 new HIV infections occuring every week among adolescents aged 10-19 in Kenya.
Additionally, In Kenya, almost 1 out of 4 women give birth by age 18 and nearly half by age 20, with one in every five adolescents aged 15-19 are already mothers or pregnant with their first child.
According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2022, Fifteen percent of women age 15–19 have ever been pregnant; 12% have had a live birth, 1% have had a pregnancy loss, and 3% are currently pregnant.
The percentage of women age 15–19 who have ever been pregnant increases with age, from 3% among those age 15 to 31% among those age 19.
In addition, slightly more than half of young people in Kenya know about HIV prevention (54% of women and 55% of men).
Knowledge of prevention is lowest among respondents age 15–17 (44% each of women and men) and among those who have never had sex (47% of women and 48% of men).
Young women and men in urban areas are more likely than their counterparts in rural areas to have knowledge about HIV prevention; 57% of young women and 63% of young men in urban areas have knowledge about prevention, as compared with 52% of young women and 51% of young men in rural areas.
The percentage of women who experienced physical violence before the survey declined from 20% in 2014 to 16% in 2022. Over the same period, the percentage among men declined slightly from 12% to 10%.
Experience of violence among women increases with age; 20% of women age 15–19 have experienced physical violence since age 15, as compared with 42% of women age 45–49.
The percentage of women who have experienced sexual violence increases with age, from 7% among those age 15–19 to 18% among those age 40–49.
The 2010 Constitution of Kenya protects children and women from abuse, harmful cultural practices, and all forms of violence. The Government of Kenya has enacted legislation prohibiting FGM/C, including the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, 2011 and the Children’s Act, 2022.
Furthermore, Sessional Paper No. 3 of 2019 on the National Policy for the Eradication of Female Genital Mutilation and the National Policy on Gender Based Violence 2019 guide the regulation of FGM/C in Kenya.
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