Nature: Meet the "Unknown” Children of Kenya

Location: Unknown
Age: 9 - 10

“I’m a phone call away” is literally what Childline Kenya stands for, always. We ensure children’s voices are heard and their rights and dignity upheld at all times. Childline receives hundreds of reports of child abuse in various forms. We work tirelessly round the clock, responding to “the known” and “the unknowns”. There may not be a name or a face to the child but our dream is to give a voice to every child.

 

Meet one of our “Unknowns”.

Name of the child: unknown

Age: unknown but speculated to be between 9-11 years.

Gender: Unknown, not clear from the voice

Home: unknown but suspected to be from the Western region of Kenya

Type of abuse: Unknown but suspected to be physical abuse

 

A concerned neighbor would only hear a child crying in pain almost on a daily basis. The neighbor did not know what exactly was happening to the child but suspected something was not right. Armed with just that information, the neighbour called the Helpline 116 for help. All he had was a deep conviction that the child needed help but feared that it would be dismissed as unsubstantiated speculation. He was pleasantly surprised when after reporting the case, the helpline immediately facilitated a social enquiry and subsequent rescue of the child who unfortunately was being violated in the hands of his uncle and aunt. Although he was of school-going age, he was denied the right to go to school and was also overworked. He was left every day to care for a two-year-old child despite being a child himself. He has since been reunited with his primary family who, though poor, have great love for the boy and are committed to keeping him safe.

Such cases are reported everyday by a child, neighbor, teacher and other concerned people in the community. With your support, we can make life better for every child in Kenya. We all have a part to play.