The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
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Latest items for Kenya

Dec. 13, 2024, 3:59 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: MABFC-DATA-1

"Adolescent pregnancy is an issue in Kenya, too, where 15% of adolescent girls become mothers before the age of 18. Girls from the poorest households are more likely to become mothers than girls from the richest households" (para 5).
Dec. 13, 2024, 3:59 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: CRPLB-PRACTICE-1

"As specialists in medical sociology and public health, we conducted a survey in 2022 of adolescent mothers in an informal settlement in Kenya. About a third reported that they had been abused by health providers during childbirth. The study found that abusive treatment discouraged these girls from seeking future maternity care at healthcare facilities" (para 6). "The study focused on 491 adolescent girls ranging in age from 14 to 19 years, who had a biological child at the time of the interviews. Data were analysed to estimate the scale of abuse of girls during childbirth in health facilities. In total 32.2% of adolescent mothers suffered abuse from health providers during...more
Dec. 12, 2024, 9:33 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: ACR-PRACTICE-1

"However, surrogate babies are trapped by war, with Project Dynamo rescuing 68 newborns already this year to unite them with their often-American parents. Instead, some couples struggling to conceive are using the black market of commercial surrogacy in places like Kenya" (para 14-15). "[O]ne former surrogate, named as Ashley, reveals how she was forced to remain in an apartment throughout her pregnancy, receiving weekly meals, before she was taken to hospital 'cramping and bleeding'. After giving birth to a baby boy, he was taken away and Ashley was left with none of the money that an agent had agreed to pay her. She tells Mariana: 'My mum had five children,...more
Dec. 12, 2024, 9:33 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: ACR-LAW-1

"But thanks to Ukraine's strict regulations to ensure babies 'don't get misplaced, or worse trafficked', says the documentary, the organisation was told it couldn't collect the youngster on the parents' behalf" (para 8). "'Surrogacy isn't technically illegal in Kenya, in fact it's openly advertised,' explains the journalist. 'But there aren't any specific laws regulating it, that means couples must hire costly lawyers to navigate the country's child trafficking laws, which ironically ends up fuelling cheaper black market operators'" (para 17-18).
Dec. 12, 2024, 9:33 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: ACR-DATA-1

"He's helped with the birth of five babies a month, and he's lost count of how many. He reveals that the babies belong to couples in Australia, Canada and America, for instance" (para 49). "There are six state of the art IVF clinics in Kenya and because the IVF process is highly specialised 'it's clear that at least one of Kenya's six clinics is implanting embryos into the county's black market surrogates', claims the documentary" (para 51).
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-2

"The Ministries of Education and Labour did not respond to requests for comment. The department of civil registration said it required further details on Esther’s case, including a copy of her birth certificate, to take action" (par. 24).
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: NGOFW-DATA-1

"Her mother eventually contacted Cana Family Life, a Nairobi-based charity that helps children out of domestic work and back to school. After rescuing her, they enrolled Esther in a hairdressing course and are now trying to help her get a job at a salon or start a small one of her own" (par. 21).
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-1, LRW-PRACTICE-2

"One day, when the family left the house, their son, who was living at home while studying at a local university, raped her. When she told his mother, she accused her of lying and beat her. As Esther was working illegally and had no id diocuments, she says she feared she would be in trouble if she contacted the police. She also doubted she would have been fairly heard against the word of a wealthier family" (par. 20).
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: LDS-PRACTICE-1

"Instead, aged 11, she quietly dropped out against her mother’s wishes and later ran away from home. She had heard from a friend that a family in a lower-middle-income residential Nairobi suburb were looking for a housekeeper. The first family Esther worked for, aged 12, promised to 'treat her like a daughter' and to pay her £17 (3,000 Kenyan shillings) a month, but soon began overworking her and withholding her pay. 'She [the employer] said: ‘why should I pay you when you’re eating and living here for free?’,' says Esther. 'I’d get up at 3am to clean the house and get the kids ready for school and work until the...more
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: LDS-DATA-1

"There is no current data on the number of child domestic workers in Kenya, but domestic work is believed to be the second largest contributor to child labour in the country. A 2023 study found children as young as seven driven into work by poverty, with many facing physical abuse and denied access to their salaries" (par. 14).
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: ERBG-PRACTICE-1

"The lack of a birth certificate still affects her prospects, however. She needs it to apply for a national ID card, in order to get a job or start a business" (par. 22).
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: CLCW-PRACTICE-1

"Her estranged father had her birth certificate and the prospects of finding him were poor, while her mother’s attempts to get a copy from government offices ran up against bureaucratic obstacles" (par. 5). This suggests that the identifications papers of women are held by their male family members (IME - CODER COMMENTS).
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: CLCW-LAW-2

"Her estranged father had her birth certificate and the prospects of finding him were poor, while her mother’s attempts to get a copy from government offices ran up against bureaucratic obstacles" (par. 5). This suggests that it is difficult for women to request identification papers (IME - CODER COMMENT). "Esther was repeatedly sent home for not producing the document and as she watched her mother’s failed efforts and their financial situation become more precarious, she became dispirited" (par. 7). "The lack of a birth certificate still affects her prospects, however. She needs it to apply for a national ID card, in order to get a job or start a business"...more
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: CLCC-PRACTICE-1

"Her estranged father had her birth certificate and the prospects of finding him were poor, while her mother’s attempts to get a copy from government offices ran up against bureaucratic obstacles" (par. 5). This suggests that it is difficult for women to request identification papers (IME - CODER COMMENT). "Esther was repeatedly sent home for not producing the document and as she watched her mother’s failed efforts and their financial situation become more precarious, she became dispirited" (par. 7).
Dec. 9, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: AFE-PRACTICE-1

"But in 2014, Esther’s grade six teacher announced that students would need to bring in their birth certificates to register for national examinations. The seemingly minor requirement morphed into an obstacle that would later push Esther out of education altogether" (par. 4). "Esther was repeatedly sent home for not producing the document and as she watched her mother’s failed efforts and their financial situation become more precarious, she became dispirited. 'I didn’t see the point of staying in school if I wouldn’t be able to take [the exams]. I felt there wasn’t a path forward for me there,' she says" (par. 7-8). "While schools are legally obliged to investigate the...more
Dec. 6, 2024, 9:56 a.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: LRW-DATA-1

"This is the horrifying moment a Kenyan boss tried to force a woman to have sex with him in return for work - as an investigation uncovered widespread sexual abuse on tea farms. BBC reporters found that women had been pressured into sex at farms supplying PG Tips, Lipton, Tesco and Sainsbury's - with one victim being infected with HIV. An undercover journalist was invited to an interview in a hotel room where she was quickly asked to start touching James Finlay & Company recruiter John Chebochok who instructed her to take her clothes off and 'lie down'. The victim, called Katy, was wearing a secret camera and was pinned...more
Dec. 6, 2024, 9:56 a.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: ERBG-PRACTICE-1

"This is the horrifying moment a Kenyan boss tried to force a woman to have sex with him in return for work - as an investigation uncovered widespread sexual abuse on tea farms. BBC reporters found that women had been pressured into sex at farms supplying PG Tips, Lipton, Tesco and Sainsbury's - with one victim being infected with HIV. An undercover journalist was invited to an interview in a hotel room where she was quickly asked to start touching James Finlay & Company recruiter John Chebochok who instructed her to take her clothes off and 'lie down'. The victim, called Katy, was wearing a secret camera and was pinned...more
Dec. 6, 2024, 9:56 a.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-2

"Following the investigation, James Finlay & Co told the BBC it has suspended and barred the employee from its tea farms and reported him to the police. The company also told the broadcaster that it is investigating whether its Kenyan operation has 'an endemic issue with sexual violence'" (para 13-14). "Separate video shows two managers sexually harassing an undercover investigator at a tea farm which was, at the time of filming, owned by British Dutch company Unilever. Unilever told the BBC it is 'deeply shocked and saddened' by the allegations. It added that any employees who breached its Code of Conduct have been dismissed, and any criminality reported to the...more
Dec. 4, 2024, 4:38 p.m.
Countries: Djibouti, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Variables: PW-LAW-1

"Polygyny legal for up to four wives" (para 18).
Aug. 21, 2024, 3:48 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: IRP-PRACTICE-5

"Some sex workers who spoke to The Nairobian revealed that some of them are forced to bribe crooked officers with a quickie whenever they get arrested. The police however say they are not aware of such cases. 'They (authorities) always ask for sexual favours when they arrest us. Sometimes, we give in because we do not have the money to bribe them,' Grace says. 'Also when we are assaulted by clients and when we report the cases, police officers say that it is part of our job so there is nothing to report.'"
Aug. 10, 2024, 2:57 a.m.
Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Central African Rep, Cote D'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Syria, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Variables: MULTIVAR-SCALE-6

13.0
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: INFIB-PRACTICE-1

“Efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation in Kenya have suffered a setback after a police officer was killed in a confrontation with a gang of youths. Activists and local leaders condemned the murder, calling it a backward step in the fight to eradicate the practice in the country. Police in Elgeyo Marakwet county, in the Rift Valley region, had taken a group of girls who had been forced to undergo the illegal procedure to hospital when a mob of young men stormed a police station and stoned Cpl Mushote Boma to death” (1-2). “Female genital mutilation, or ‘the cut’, remains illegal in Kenya but is still being practised in some...more
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: ATFPA-PRACTICE-2

“[Tony] Mwebia, whose organisation [Men End FGM Foundation] has since trained nearly 500 male champions in counties where FGM exists, says men cringe when they are shown videos of the cut, a rite they traditionally believe is undertaken for their benefit. ‘They are told the cut makes women more mature and avoid promiscuity. They are also told that they will lose any respect within the community by marrying an uncut woman. That is why they will kill anyone, including a policeman, who interferes with the cut,’ Mwebia said” (7-8). The fact that a man’s social standing is tied to whether or not the woman they marry is uncut indicates that...more
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: ATFPA-PRACTICE-3

“[Tony] Mwebia [of the Men End FGM Foundation] said the war against FGM will only be won if ‘we don’t waste resources in conferences but change our strategies. There is political goodwill, right from the country’s top leadership. The silence from men will be the biggest barrier’ ” (16-17). The fact that the country’s leadership is in favor of curbing the practice of FGM, but are unable to because of silence from men indicates that the norms of family decisionmaking, which are patriarchal, likely extend, at least to some degree, to the influential institutions of society (AMC - CODER COMMENT).
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: DSFMF-PRACTICE-4

“[Tony] Mwebia, whose organisation [Men End FGM Foundation] has since trained nearly 500 male champions in counties where FGM exists, says men cringe when they are shown videos of the cut, a rite they traditionally believe is undertaken for their benefit. ‘They are told the cut makes women more mature and avoid promiscuity. They are also told that they will lose any respect within the community by marrying an uncut woman. That is why they will kill anyone, including a policeman, who interferes with the cut,’ Mwebia said” (7-8).
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: INFIB-DATA-2

“According to The Nation newspaper, about 70 girls were rescued by the police, with Viola Cherono, a human rights activist from the region, reporting that as many as 500 girls had been assembling in the forest to undergo the practice” (12). “ ‘Cases of FGM have come down in communities that were strongly for the cut, mainly because girls have come out to say no,’ said [Bernadette] Loloju [CEO of the Anti-FGM Board in Kenya]” (14-15).
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: INFIB-LAW-1

“Efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation in Kenya have suffered a setback after a police officer was killed in a confrontation with a gang of youths. Activists and local leaders condemned the murder, calling it a backward step in the fight to eradicate the practice in the country. Police in Elgeyo Marakwet county, in the Rift Valley region, had taken a group of girls who had been forced to undergo the illegal procedure to hospital when a mob of young men stormed a police station and stoned Cpl Mushote Boma to death…Female genital mutilation, or ‘the cut’, remains illegal in Kenya” (1-2, 5).
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: NGOFW-DATA-1

“ ‘It is shocking and disheartening that in the 21st century we can kill a police officer rescuing girls undergoing the inhumane act [of FGM],’ said Tony Mwebia, founder and executive director of the not-for-profit Men End FGM Foundation that aims to rally men and boys against FGM and child marriages. ‘Were these men who killed the policeman aware of why they were protecting the backward culture? Do they have any idea of the harm caused by the cut?’ ” (6). "Bernadette Loloju, chief executive officer of the Anti-FGM Board in Kenya, said the killing was ‘an isolated incident beyond human thinking’, but that it should not be used to...more
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-2, SEGI-PRACTICE-3

“Efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation in Kenya have suffered a setback after a police officer was killed in a confrontation with a gang of youths. Activists and local leaders condemned the murder, calling it a backward step in the fight to eradicate the practice in the country. Police in Elgeyo Marakwet county, in the Rift Valley region, had taken a group of girls who had been forced to undergo the illegal procedure to hospital when a mob of young men stormed a police station and stoned Cpl Mushote Boma to death. ‘Angry youth raided the police post in a bid to get the girls, who had been rescued by...more
July 22, 2024, 9:44 p.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: SEGI-PRACTICE-1

“Efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation in Kenya have suffered a setback after a police officer was killed in a confrontation with a gang of youths. Activists and local leaders condemned the murder, calling it a backward step in the fight to eradicate the practice in the country” (1-2).“ ‘It is shocking and disheartening that in the 21st century we can kill a police officer rescuing girls undergoing the inhumane act [of FGM],’ said Tony Mwebia, founder and executive director of the not-for-profit Men End FGM Foundation that aims to rally men and boys against FGM and child marriages. ‘Were these men who killed the policeman aware of why they...more