Event Details

This seminar explores the journey of the child survivor through Kenya's child protection and justice system, offering an in-depth examination of how the system operates in practice.

What happens to a child after sexual exploitation or abuse is reported? How do child protection, health and justice systems respond, and what happens when those systems do not work effectively together?

This seminar will explore these questions through new research examining the reporting, investigation and adjudication of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) in Kenya.

Eunice Pande from MIDRIFT HURINET, a Kenyan human rights organisation, will present findings from research that maps the journey of the child survivor through Kenya's child protection and justice system – from the initial reporting of a case, through investigation and medical care, to adjudication in the courts.

The research provides an in-depth examination of how the system operates in practice, drawing on data collected across seven Kenyan counties: Busia, Garissa, Kisii, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi and Nakuru. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study included observations of 56 child protection agencies, interviews with 58 key stakeholders and a review of 57 CSEA court case files from 2019–2025, alongside analysis of relevant legislation, policies and existing evidence.

The findings identify significant challenges across the child protection and justice journey. These include barriers to reporting, limited access to psychosocial support, fragmented data and referral systems, challenges in evidence preservation and medical documentation, limited capacity for trauma-informed practice, and significant delays within the court system. The research also highlights how poverty, geographical inequalities and limited resources can shape children's access to protection and justice.

Importantly, the study moves beyond identifying systemic weaknesses to propose practical recommendations for strengthening responses to CSEA. These include developing more trauma-informed services, improving inter-agency coordination and data systems, expanding mobile reporting and medical services, strengthening forensic procedures, investing in professional training, and reducing delays within the courts.

Why this research matters

While the research is situated within the Kenyan context, it raises questions of wider significance for child and family justice. How do systems respond to children who experience sexual abuse and exploitation? What happens when different agencies and professional systems fail to connect effectively? How can children's experiences be placed at the centre of responses to abuse? And what does a genuinely trauma-informed and survivor-centred justice system look like in practice?

The seminar provides an opportunity for researchers, practitioners, policymakers and students in the UK to engage with an international perspective on these questions and to consider what we might learn from the Kenyan experience for thinking about child protection, safeguarding and children's access to justice more broadly.

The seminar will be of interest to researchers, academics, social workers and other child protection practitioners, legal and justice professionals, policymakers, students, and organisations working with children and families.

Date: 28^th September 2026

Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm

Location: Online