Reflections on Increasing the Value of Data on Sexual Violence Incidents against Children to Better Prevent and Respond to Sexual Offending in Kenya

Zidan Ji, Sarah Rockowitz, Heather D. Flowe, Laura M. Stevens, Wangu Kanja and Kari Davies
Additional contact information
Zidan Ji: Institution of Education, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Sarah Rockowitz: School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Heather D. Flowe: School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Laura M. Stevens: School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Wangu Kanja: Wangu Kanja Foundation, Nairobi 12608, Kenya
Kari Davies: Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole BH12 5BB, UK

Societies, 2022, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: In many countries, data collection on sexual violence incidents is not integrated into the healthcare system, which makes it difficult to establish the nature of sexual offences in this country. This contributes to widespread societal denial about the realities of sexual violence cases and the collective oppression of survivors and their families. Capturing detailed information about incidents (e.g., characteristics of perpetrators, where it happened, victims, and the offence) can dispel myths about sexual violence and aid in crime prevention and interventions. This article examines how information about sexual violence incidents—in particular, offences committed against children in Kenya—is gathered from two different data sources: the Violence Against Children Survey (VACS) and data collected by the Wangu Kanja Foundation (WKF), a survivor-led Kenyan NGO that assists sexual violence survivors in attaining vital services and justice. These two surveys provide the most comprehensive information about sexual and gender-based violence. The analysis indicates that, while the VACS provides information about the prevalence of sexual violence, it provides less detailed information about the nature of violence (e.g., characteristics of perpetrators, victims, and the offence) compared with the WKF dataset. We critically reflect on how validity and informativeness can be maximised in future surveys to better understand the nature of sexual violence, as well as other forms of gender-based violence, and aid in prevention and response interventions/programming.

Keywords: sexual violence; child sexual violence; survey data; data collection; gender-based violence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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