Fear of family and community breakdown as a barrier to reporting

Fear of losing their marriages

Fear that their daughters would not get married

Fear of shame to the child

Fear of stigma and isolation to the child

・ Ubuchindami bwa mwanakashi mulume (a woman’s respect is determined by having a husband). Mostly women are more respected in society when they are married even if the husband does not provide anything at home

・ It is difficult to report to the police that your child has been sexually abused because everyone in the community will know that she has been exposed to sexual acts and worse off if it’s a case of incest. The community members will narrate the abuse story to any suitor who comes to marry the girl in future and after hearing most men are not likely to make them future brides because very few men what to marry someone with a history of sexual abuse. Some community members even tell suitors that can you marry someone who was having intercourse with her father that’s a no

・ When a child has been abused, it is very difficult for the mother to disclose such an incident, it is a shame on her part because it’s like exposing herself naked in front of society. Sometimes the society expresses views that it was not truly defilement but the result of negligence on the mother’s part

・ I cannot allow my child to play with a sexually abused child because they start teaching bad manners to other kids and some kids start enjoying the abuse so I would rather my kid is at a distance with such a child