TITLE:
Prevalence, Challenges, and Interventions for Child Neglect: Cases Reported through Childline Kenya Helpline (2016-2018)
AUTHORS:
Sylvia Jebet Tuikong
KEYWORDS:
Child Neglect, Prevalence, Effects, Challenges, Intervention
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.8 No.7,
July
17,
2020
ABSTRACT: It is not easy to approximate the degree and scale
of maltreatment meted against children. However, the world today is
reporting a consistent increase in the number of children who are subjects of
investigation or alternative response. This is a cue that the likely number of
children who finally get confirmed as maltreated may be very high. Kenya
particularly, is reporting an increasing rate of violence against children.
This study examined the prevalence of child neglect cases reported through
Childline Kenya over a period of three years, 2016 to 2018, the nature and
trends of child neglect cases reported in Kenya and the interventions employed
by Childline Kenya to curb child neglect. The descriptive research design was
used for the study. The data were collected through Childline Kenya’s helpline “116” harnessed from received
phone calls from 2016 to 2018. Childline Kenya personnel received calls and
recorded child neglect cases that were reported through this span of time.
Interviews with Childline Kenya personnel were also conducted to complement the
data reported through phone calls. Further, a desktop review of best practices
of preventing and intervening for child neglect were also conducted. The
collected data are presented through descriptive statistics, tables, graphs and
emerging themes. The study found that, on average, there was a high prevalence
of reported child neglect cases in Kenya, that there was an increase in child
neglect cases reported in 2016 and 2017, with a slight drop in 2018. It also
emerged that both males and females experienced child neglect, but more cases
were reported among the males than females. Case management plan is the key
strategy used by Childline Kenya as an intervention measure.