06/06/2025
We talk so often about young girls and women, and rightly so but do we also acknowledge that even the youngest children can and do experience sexual violence and its devastating consequences?
This conversation is uncomfortable, but silence is far more dangerous.
We need to normalize speaking openly about r**e, sexual abuse, and reproductive health not just in adult spaces, but among the most vulnerable groups: children, adolescents, and women.
These are not “grown-up” conversations.
They are life-saving conversations.
When we shy away from these topics, we allow shame, stigma, and ignorance to thrive.
When we create safe, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive spaces to educate and engage, we empower the next generation to protect themselves, speak up, and seek help.
It was an honor and a deep responsibility to lead this powerful dialogue raising awareness, challenging taboos, and calling communities, families, and institutions to action.
Our children are watching.
Our girls are waiting.
Our boys are waiting.
Our women are carrying burdens in silence.
Let us be the voices that break the cycle. Let us be the change that shifts the narrative.
Together, we say NO to r**e.
Together, we protect the vulnerable.
Together, we build a world where safety and dignity are not privileges, but rights.
BREECH Care Sexual Harassment Workshops PAULESI-Pan African University Institute of Life and Earth Sciences (Including Health & Agriculture) Reproductive Health Network Kenya UNICEF Takohchong Starcy Ngwanyui