The Controversial Bill - Sexual Consent Age

Dear FIDA,

Greeting from the Village Girl!

Straight to the point! I am extremely disappointed with you! This is what I ran into on 27^th December 2016 from the Star.

“The Federal of Women lawyers has defended the controversial bill that aims to lower the age of sexual consent from 18 to 16 citing that it is meant to protect teenage boys.”

Just before you think I do not understand where you come from, I got it very clear! Very clear and to say the least I am equally concerned about the teenagers whose lives are wasted in the prisons. However I do not understand why you had to support the reduction of the Sexual consent age!!!  It bothers me a lot. As a young girl, I was not ready for sex at 18 years old; forget the age of 16 years. My body was changing rapidly, my hormones overpowering me, teenage hood was not easy for me! I did not know who I was and what was good for me. I had all these men and boys interested in me! It was fun…But I just needed the attention and the truth be told, I was still not ready for sex and yes I never wanted to get involved. Then I was 18 years, they told me they loved me to the moon and back and I lost myself to this illusion. But wait …..No….. They did not love me, they just lusted after me .They knew I did not know what I wanted then!  I refer to your below comment from the Star:

“Josephine Mongare, FIDA national chair, told the Star that the bill aims at protecting young teenagers who have suffered long sentences of 15 years and above for sexual offences that involve girls of their peers. “If you do an audit now in our prisons you will find young boys of 20 and 21 years serving jail terms over sexual offenses involving their peers and their life is ruined, this bill is meant to save teenage boys who the law leans on them alone when it comes to sexual offenses,” Mongare said. She further pointed out that the law as at now provides that sexual offenders be listed on a permanent register, a situation she says has ruined many teenagers’ lives. “Once you are profiled on the sexual offenders register, then you are unlucky,” she said.

Did you really think how I will be exposed to more challenges as soon as I get to Form 3? Did you think how possibly my friends and I will focus on other “issues” now that we shall be of age to have sex and forget our books? Did you think of my final year in Secondary School and how it can get affected? How about my grades? Why on earth would you expose me while someone protected you at my age? Okay maybe all this is not very touching to you! Let’s try this …

Are you a parent?  Do you have a teenager in your house like me? Did you think about the early pregnancies at form 3? Oh, for your information that will mean a minimum of 3 years out of school for me while my peers will have proceeded to college?  What about the STDs I am likely to encounter? Do you think I even have the confidence to walk to a health facility for medical attention? Why doesn’t this make any sense to you?  I could go on and on….

Oh wait, I understand you are concerned about the “sentence period” for the teenage boys! Great! That makes the two of us. We needs laws that protect all equally. So why not focus on the current punishment to the teenage boys in prison? They too should not be allowed to have sex before that are ready either. It will equally affect their future.  

So what am I asking you to do? Do whatever it takes to protect us!  Talk to the Law makers, let them make more laws if need be, addendum's if needed …. Let them go back to the drawing board and just protect us! 

It should never escape your mind as you make the laws that I am still a child until I am 18 years. My parents and “I” prefer it that way!

Yours,

The Village Girl {Ndunge Wa Muthuka )

Founder – Young Jewels Foundation