A Phenomenological Study of Sexual Harassment and Violence Among Girls Attending High Schools in Urban Slums, Nairobi, Kenya

In 2003, 31% of young Kenyan women ages 15–24 reported sexual harassment and violence (SHV), with a majority experiencing sexual debut due to coercion (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2004 Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Health, and ORC Macro. 2004. Kenya demographic and health survey 2003: Key findings, Calverton, MD: Authors. [Google Scholar]). Data were obtained from a sample of 20 girls attending school in Kamu and Lafamu (pseudonyms used for the study sites), 10 girls who had dropped out of school, and 14 teachers, using structured interviews. A phenomenological approach was used to describe narratives of girls' experiences with SHV in and out of school. The findings indicated that girls experienced frequent SHV in and out of school despite the Sexual Offences Act enacted by the Kenyan Parliament in 2006 (Government of Kenya, 2006 Government of Kenya. (2006). Laws of Kenya: The sexual offences act. Nairobi, Kenya: National Council for Law Reporting. http://www.thesexualoffencesact.com/index.html (http://www.thesexualoffencesact.com/index.html) [Google Scholar]). Hence, stakeholders need to reengage and implement existing policies on sexual abuse among children and women.