According to High Court of Kenya lawyer Lucas Matiko Chacha, sections covering the Children’s Act should be included in the school curriculum at various stages from primary to secondary school. .
The lawyer said that the understanding of the constitution and the laws that protect children is not comforting for the target group, considering that measures only take place when their rights are violated.
Mr. Chacha blamed the government’s failure to expand channels through which awareness of children’s rights could grow.
He said, the prevalence of ignorance is the cause of rampant sexual violence and other diseases that harm children’s education and all well-being.
The lawyer wants part of the constitution and general law of the country to review and improve the curriculum including education among teenagers in primary and secondary schools. As one of the groups involved in the campaign to ensure the free distribution of sanitary napkins in schools, which has been fighting for the rights of girls for a long time, Chacha said, about 90 percent of children are not aware of their rights.
The lawyer is a member of the Women’s Affairs Division of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (KELC), a resource wing engaged in legal awareness among students, college students and university students across the country.
He called for simplification of the relevant laws to better address young people, especially women, who are victims of violence and attacks every day.
“Many do not know that indecent assault is illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison,” Chacha said, adding that many women were shocked by the revelation.
According to Mr. Chachan, girls should learn lessons about rape, sexual assault, indecent assault and profanity easily and easily; all crimes can be punished if proven in court.
Many said they did not know that those making false allegations, especially those involving sexual offences, would be punished, and that some cases of forced marriage could be solved before they were reported to the authorities. .
She said many girls in primary and secondary schools still consider discussions about sex, hygiene and life safety taboo topics; they still have a constitutional right to access and protection of health care.
The lawyer said that the concept of personal health and hygiene is constantly being misunderstood as the responsibility of parents, guardians and some teachers, but it should be available on all platforms.
The government said it would be easier to ensure its implementation and respect as it enacted similar laws to achieve constitutional rights.
The Lutheran Church now participates in a program where health and legal experts discuss the responsibilities of women’s health, hygiene, and child and sexual rights laws.
