County targets children in the new Gender-Based Violence online reporting awareness campaign

Nakuru County has been forced to work on a new strategy to have more victims of Gender Based Violence report the crimes.

The devolved unit had in February launched a GBV online reporting platform to encourage more victims to report freely anonymously.

However, a survey of the platform released by the county reveals a rather shocking trend where only 32 cases of GBV have been reported

From the report, defilement cases accounts for more than 10 of the 32 cases reported so far, raising alarm among county officials and child protection advocates.

Speaking during a phone call interview with Mtaa Wangu, County director for gender Celina Nkatha says the low number of cases does not reflect the true situation on the ground, but instead points to massive underreporting and poor utilization of the system by the public and partner organisations.

“The total number of cases reported since February are only 32. What is happening is that people are not reporting in the system. Even NGOs that we have told to put cases on the platform every day are not doing so,” says Nkatha 

Data from the system shows that Rongai Sub-County leads with nine reported cases followed by Gilgil with eight cases.

However, several sub-counties, including Naivasha, Subukia, Kuresoi North, Kuresoi South, Nakuru East and Nakuru West, show zero cases, a situation Nkatha insists does not mean GBV is not happening in those areas.

Apart from defilement, other reported cases include physical assault, sexual assault, emotional abuse, neglect and rape.

Nkatha says fear, stigma and lack of awareness on how to use the online reporting system are the main barriers preventing survivors and witnesses from documenting cases. 

“Even when people call us to report cases and we ask them to put the information on the platform, they disappear. A lot of cases go unrecorded. This affects not only the county but also our partners and donors who want to support the fight against GBV, because the data makes it look like we don’t have a GBV problem,” she explains.

She warned that weak data undermines resource allocation, as donors and partners depend on official statistics to design and fund survivor support services.

To respond to the trend, the county intensified community outreach during the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV campaign, deliberately shifting focus to children following evidence that defilement was the most reported form of abuse. 

During the campaign, the county targeted 300 children per sub-county, reaching an estimated 3,000 children across 10 sub-counties. Nkatha says Molo Sub-County was not covered due to resource constraints.

 Additionally, she notes the intervention will continue when schools reopen, with teams set to roll out structured GBV awareness programmes targeting school-going children.

“After the 16 days of reporting campaign, we will move to schools to continue creating awareness on GBV among children,” she says.

 She called on the public, teachers, parents and organizations to use the county’s reporting system to improve data accuracy and inform better interventions’ cases can be reported through the county’s online platform at www.nakuru.org.gbv.

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