Factors contributing to commercial sex work among underage girls; the case of Dagoretti rehabilitation school in Nairobi county

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to establish factors contributing to Commercial Sexual Exploitation of girls. The study had four specific objectives, namely establishing factors contributing to commercial sexual exploitation of underage girls, the agents involved in the planning, organizing and execution of commercial sexual exploitation of underage girls, understanding how commercial sexual exploitation of underage girls is planned, organized, and executed by agents. The other objective of this study was to identify policy gaps in the already existing policy frameworks developed to combat Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. The research questions were derived from the above objectives. The research adopted a qualitative study design. The targeted population was government officers, especially those involved in child welfare programmes and girls undergoing rehabilitation at Dagoretti Rehabilitation School. Respondents were randomly and purposively sampled where asample of twenty nine(29) keyinformants(stakeholders )and eight (8) girls from a population of one hundred and fifty two (152)respondentsand fifty (50) girls respectively selected. Interview guides were used to collect data from respondents and key informant persons. The researcher also conducted one focus group discussion of adult women who were former commercial sex workers. The data collected was coded and grouped into themes based on the objectives of the study. Interpretation was then made by thematic analysis. The findings reveal that many factors ranging from socio-economic, situational and individual contribute to Commercial Sexual Exploitation of girls. The socio-economic and environmental factors are processes that exist in the larger environment over which young girls can exercise only minimal control but which; nonetheless, exert a powerful influence on their lives by pushing them into sex work. They include poverty, polluted social environment, ignorance, corruption and laxity in enforcing existing laws. Situational factors as the study established are socio-behavioural and family relationship events that in one way or the other contribute to Commercial Sexual Exploitation of underage girls: These are external factors that impact underage girls directly and over which they can exert some measure of control, but which nonetheless push them into sex work. They include recruitment by family members, peer pressure, stigma and discrimination, family breakdown/dysfunction. On the other hand, individual/internal factors are cognitive and psychogenic forces that may push underage girls into sex work. These include; Poor self esteem; revenge-intentional spread of HIV, and personal drug dependency The study also found out that three categories of agents are involved in Commercial Sexual Exploitation of girls namely; perpetrators, vendors and facilitators. Their activities and operations are highly secretive and operate using sophisticated networks, with some even using pseudo names. The study also established a number of policy gaps in the already developed policy framework which range from preventive, implementation/enforcement and legislation. The study therefore concluded that protection programmes needed to be reviewed as a matter of urgency, besides updating the operational capacity of law enforcers and other child welfare agencies tasked with the responsibility of child rights and protection. Efforts at protecting girls from sexual exploitation must emphasize prevention as the first priority. The study recommends the protection of girls and proper rehabilitation of victims of child sexual exploitation, and also enforcefully, existing national Laws on child sexual exploitation