Effects of Gender Violence on Self-Esteem among the Adolescents of Turkana County, Northern Kenya

Abstract

Violence against women has been one of the most prominent issues and a major public health concern. It is a principal violation of basic human rights and has both physical and mental effects on the victim. Evidence suggests adolescent self-esteem is influenced by beliefs of how individuals in their reference group perceive them. However, few studies examine how gender-based violence-related affects self-esteem among adolescents of Turkana populations in northern Kenya. This study examined the effects of sexual violence on adolescents’ self-esteem in Turkana County. Descriptive survey method was used to get preliminary results and Chi-squared test and Spearman was used to test the significant of variables. The study established that incest was the most commonly reported among the girls, followed by defilement, forced early marriage and forced hugs, inappropriate touching of the body parts body and suggestive teasing, which were found to be the major types of sexual violence among young girls in Turkana County. The study concluded that sexual violence is prevalent in Turkana County and violence with young girls and adolescents as the victims. The study recommends that enforcement and implementation of laws and policies related to gender-based violence must be improved to include advocacy and capacity building required for the law enforcement agencies as well as institutions that implement the national policy on gender-based violence with men, boys and community leaders must be sensitized on the rights of women through community mobilization activities by the community health volunteers, women groups and civil society organizations.