As the world marks the International Day of the Girl on October 11, we must ask whether our celebration is matched by meaningful action to protect girls from child marriage, abuse, exploitation and other threats to their future.
As we look forward to celebrating the International Day of the Girl on October 11, perhaps we need to pause and ask ourselves some uncomfortable but necessary questions: What progress have we really made in protecting the girl child? Are our girls safe? And are we doing enough to prevent the practices and circumstances that continue to rob them of their childhood and future?
Celebrating girls is important. Their achievements deserve recognition, their voices deserve to be heard and their aspirations deserve support. But an annual celebration should not become a ritual of speeches, songs and colourful events that ends when the day is over. This year’s theme, “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights,” allows us to look beyond celebration and confront one of the challenges that continues to affect girls in many communities.
Child marriage does not occur in isolation. It can be associated with poverty, harmful social norms, teenage pregnancy, sexual exploitation, gender inequality and the interruption of education. In some communities, retrogressive cultural practices and deeply entrenched attitudes can make it difficult for girls to assert their rights or determine the direction of their own lives.
Some practices have survived for generations simply because society has become accustomed to them. But familiarity should never be mistaken for acceptability. Culture is an important part of our identity, providing communities with values, traditions and a sense of belonging. However, where a cultural practice harms a child, compromises her dignity or denies her fundamental rights, it must be examined honestly. A girl should not be married off because a community considers her old enough. She should not be denied education because of gender. She should not be subjected to harmful practices because they are considered traditional.
Kenya has an important constitutional and legal framework for protecting children. Article 53 of the Constitution provides for the protection of children from abuse, neglect, harmful cultural practices, violence and exploitation, and the Children Act, 2022, further strengthens the legal protection of children. The challenge is therefore not simply about having good laws. It is about ensuring that those laws translate into protection in the everyday lives of children.
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The conversation about child marriage must also include teenage pregnancy. The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022 reported that 15 per cent of adolescent women aged 15–19 had ever been pregnant. Although the situation varies across counties and communities, the figure should compel us to examine how effectively we are protecting adolescents. Behind every statistic is a young person whose education and aspirations may be disrupted.
Can we achieve zero teenage pregnancies? It may be an ambitious goal, but ambition should not prevent us from pursuing prevention as vigorously as possible. Every pregnancy prevented among children gives another girl an opportunity to remain in school, develop her talents and make informed decisions about her future. Prevention, however, cannot be placed entirely on girls. Parents, schools, communities, health professionals, religious institutions and government all have responsibilities. We must address sexual abuse and exploitation, strengthen age-appropriate education, support vulnerable families and ensure that children know where to seek help. Girls who become pregnant also deserve compassion and a pathway back to education and opportunity. A pregnancy should not become a permanent sentence of exclusion.
Sexual abuse, physical violence, emotional abuse and neglect can leave scars that are not always visible. The 2019 Kenya Violence Against Children Survey demonstrated the extent to which violence can affect children and underscored the need for stronger prevention and response mechanisms. One of the greatest challenges is silence. A child may remain silent because she fears being blamed, punished or disbelieved. Families may sometimes hesitate to report abuse because they fear embarrassment or damage to their reputation. We must change this culture of silence. When a girl reports abuse, the first response should be protection and appropriate support, not condemnation. Adults must know how to listen, respond and activate the proper professional and legal mechanisms. Protecting the reputation of a family or institution can never take precedence over protecting a child.
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Today’s girl faces influences that previous generations did not encounter in the same way. The internet has opened enormous opportunities for education, creativity and communication, but it has also created new avenues for cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, manipulation and exposure to inappropriate content. Social media can amplify peer pressure, with young people constantly exposed to messages about relationships, beauty, wealth and lifestyles that may create unrealistic expectations. Our response should not be to demonise technology. Instead, girls need digital literacy and critical thinking. Parents need to understand the online environments their children occupy. Schools need to strengthen digital citizenship and online safety. Children should know how to recognise manipulation, protect themselves online and seek help when they feel threatened.
Schools have a particularly important role in safeguarding girls. A teacher may notice changes in a learner’s behaviour, attendance, academic performance or relationships before anyone else does, placing schools in a strategic position for early intervention. Guidance and counselling, therefore, should not be treated as an activity reserved for learners who have already reached crisis point. Schools need appropriately trained professionals who can provide preventive programmes, identify concerns and make referrals where specialised assistance is required. Teachers also need appropriate safeguarding knowledge. A teacher should not be expected to become a therapist or investigator, but should know how to respond appropriately, protect the learner and activate established referral mechanisms. A strong counselling programme should address self-esteem, relationships, peer pressure, personal boundaries, digital safety, decision-making and help-seeking behaviour.
No child-protection programme can succeed without meaningful parental involvement. Parenting should go beyond providing food, clothing and school fees. Parents need to know what their children are experiencing, who influences them, what concerns them and what happens in their digital lives. Most importantly, children should feel safe talking to their parents. A girl who knows that her mother or father will listen before judging is more likely to disclose a problem before it becomes a tragedy. Parents therefore need to create homes where difficult conversations are possible.
The Church and other faith institutions have considerable influence in Kenyan society. Religious leaders can use that influence to promote responsible parenting, dignity, accountability and the protection of children, while churches should also strengthen safeguarding structures and encourage families to seek professional assistance when necessary. Community leaders and elders have an equally important responsibility. We should be able to distinguish between cultural practices that enrich society and those that cause harm. Abandoning a harmful practice is not abandoning culture. It is choosing the welfare of the child over practices that have outlived their usefulness.
Government has an important responsibility to ensure that child-protection policies and laws are effectively implemented. This requires investment in education, healthcare, social protection, professional counselling, child-protection officers, reporting mechanisms, investigations and access to justice. We should also measure whether interventions are producing results. Are more girls remaining in school? Are cases of abuse being reported and handled appropriately? Are vulnerable families receiving support? Are children accessing professional psychosocial services? Are communities becoming more willing to challenge harmful practices? These questions matter because policy should ultimately be judged by what happens in the lives of the people it is designed to serve.
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Perhaps the most meaningful way to celebrate the girl child this year is to listen to her. Ask girls what makes them feel unsafe. Ask what pressures they face. Ask why some are afraid to report abuse. Ask what support they need from parents, teachers, churches and government. We cannot adequately protect children if we formulate programmes for them without listening to them. The girl child should not merely be the recipient of protection. She should be part of the conversation about her own safety, education and future.
October 11 should therefore be more than another date on the calendar. Let parents strengthen communication with their daughters. Let schools strengthen safeguarding and professional counselling. Let churches and community leaders challenge harmful norms. Let government strengthen implementation of child-protection policies and laws. And let society refuse to normalise child marriage, sexual abuse, exploitation and violence. When we save a girl from child marriage, we do more than protect one child. We preserve her education, protect her potential and give her a better chance to contribute meaningfully to society.
The greatest celebration of the girl child is not what we say about her on October 11. It is what we do, every day, to ensure that she is safe, educated, respected and free to determine the future she deserves.
Astiba Kebongo
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