A Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) document on the impact of the pandemic on crime attributes the increased sexual crimes to people having too much time on their hands and children being out of school.
Meanwhile, drug abuse and trafficking rates have gone down, with some such as heroin having increased in street value but with decreased purity.
Security agencies have reported a general drop in the rate of sexual assault nationally. The office of the DPP recorded 95 sexual offences between March 16 and 31.
Nairobi and Kiambu counties remain the crime hotspots, recording the highest number of robberies and other crimes. This translates to 41 per cent of the total 265 cases reported in that period.
Robbery and murder cases were the most reported after sexual offences.
Nairobi, Mombasa and Uasin Gishu counties reported the highest number of sexual offences, particularly defilement.
The Global Initiative document published last month indicates that many people who are stuck in their homes are spending a lot of time on the internet, specifically pornographic websites and thereafter try to fulfil their sexual fantasies.
“Child sexual exploitation content is being shared more. Some of the recipients of the material may want to actualise what they see and children being vulnerable easily become victims,” the policy document reads.
It warns that children who are homeschooled, play games online and use social media during school closures may be targeted and groomed by sexual predators as they spend extended time online.
Controlling people’s freedom of movement has become an essential priority for the government as it seeks to slow the spread of the virus.
-The Star
