National Security Adviser to President William Ruto, Ambassador Monica Juma, has revealed damning findings of widespread gender-based violence against young girls during the COVID-19 pandemic

 Speaking on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, during a sensitisation function dubbed ‘Championing Women’s Empowerment-Partnerships for a Bold and Inclusive Future’ in Nairobi, Juma revealed that over 30,000 girls were victims of sexual abuse at their own homes, a space supposed to be a haven.

The damning report pointed to the atrocities being committed by either their parent or a close relative.

“One of the most striking things during COVID period was when, by September 2020, it became apparent that more than 300,000 girls had fallen pregnant in the home space. What is the meaning of that in the next 10 or 20 years? How are we intervening to restore that stolen childhood?” she stated.

Juma used the forum to warn of the dire consequences of the GBV, decrying its role in destabilsing  the basic foundations of the family.

“The question of gender-based violence is not just about the person that is being inflicted. It weakens families, and scars generations. We have a situation where the family unit is under serious affliction,” she added.

Harriette Chiggai, the president’s women’s rights advisor, reiterated the government’s commitment to end violence meted out against women.

Educating women

 Chiggai noted that the government had established plans to not only sensitise women but also elevate their leadership levels to better cope with incidences of gender based violence.

“Through county interventions, we have supported widows, orphans, GBV survivors, and communities. Our mission goes beyond economically empowering 5 million women: we aim to raise women’s leadership to 40%, end violence against women and children, and mainstream gender data in planning and budgeting,”she stated.

call for partnership

She further advocated for a holistic approach in empowering widows, too, as a neglected group among the vulnerable members of the community.

“We have touched widows. We picked widows and orphans in our office as a CSR component it’s because no one was doing it. It was a neglected group among the vulnerable groups, and if you leave one segment of the society out, there is nothing we are solving,” she added.

The forum saw a united call extended to the members of the private sector to partner in the fight against gender-based violence.