Goal:
To secure the placement of a permanent specialist officer on child sexual exploitation in the British High Commission in Kenya to meet the Kenyan National Police’s request to the United Kingdom for support in setting up and improving measures to tackle this crime.
Summary:
Following high profile cases of British sex offenders traveling to Kenya to exploit children, Kenya approached the UK for assistance. However, the Embassy only had one official dedicated to collaborating with the authorities not only on all crimes in Kenya but also across Eastern and Southern Africa. Although the UK does have a specialist agency to address child exploitation, it did not dedicate its resources overseas, even to areas known to be hotspots for traveling sex offenders who are UK nationals, which could assist with protection and prosecutions of the criminals.
Outcome:
After almost 40,000 supporters called for increased protection for Kenyan children from sexual exploitation and trafficking, the British High Commission in Kenya formally committed to providing training, equipment and financial assistance to the Kenyan National Police (KNP) at the launch of the first child protection unit in Nairobi. The unit showed early signs of success and the KNP plans to replicate it across the country, a valuable step for the protection of vulnerable children in Kenya.
