The safety of children in charitable institutions in Kisumu east District, Kenya

A Charitable Children's Institution (CCI) is a home or institution which has been established by a person, corporate, a religious organization or a non-governmental organization and has been granted approval by the National Council for Children's Services (NCCS) to manage programs for the care, protection, rehabilitation or control of children in charitable children' institutions. This is provided for by the Children Act 2001 Section 58. Safety is the relative freedom from danger, risk or threat of harm, injury, or loss to personnel and/ or property, whether caused deliberately or by accident. Whereas Child safety refers to a state of health, happiness and/or prosperity. This study therefore, sought to examine safety of children in charitable institutions in Kisurnu East district, Kenya. Secondary data was collected to supplement primary data. The study design was descriptive involving the use of both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The study population comprised a total population of 170 children which consisted of 85 boys and 85 girls in 16 registered CCls in Kisurnu and 16 managers of CCls. Boys and girls were selected through simple random sampling while CCI managers were purposively sampled. The quantitative data was collected by the use of semi-structured questionnaires while the qualitative data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and key informant interviews. During key informant interviews with district children officers in the study area the findings above were supported and further they stated that most of the CCls in Kisumu East district do not adhere to their mission and vision statements and this impacts on children negatively. This could means that as much as any good national child protection systems are geared to respond effectively to its policy statements, child protection policies are not adhered in most CCls. The findings may be used to advocate for millennium development goal number two which advocates for achievement of universal primary education. The. study concluded that not all CCls are upholding the rights of the children they take care of and thus compromising the safety of the children.