BY VICTORIA AMUNGA | 5484 MEDIA | KENYA
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Child rights advocates estimate more than 400,000 children are working in domestic labour across Kenya.
- New campaign seeks to expose what campaigners describe as one of the country’s most hidden forms of child exploitation.
- Poverty, climate shocks and family crises are among the factors driving children into domestic service.
More than 400,000 children across Kenya are estimated to be engaged in domestic labour, facing exploitation, abuse and exclusion from education, according to child protection organisations launching a new national awareness campaign.
The initiative, dubbed Not Invisible Anymore, was unveiled in Nairobi this week by the Freedom Fund and 12 partner organisations. The campaign aims to draw attention to child domestic work, which advocates describe as Kenya’s second-largest form of child labour after agriculture.
Organisers say the week-long campaign includes public monument installations at major transport hubs across Nairobi designed to highlight the often-hidden experiences of child domestic workers and challenge societal acceptance of the practice.
A Hidden Form of Child Labour
Child rights advocates say domestic work remains one of the least visible forms of child exploitation because it takes place behind closed doors in private homes.
According to campaign organisers, official estimates from 2015 put the number of child domestic workers in Kenya at around 350,000. Advocates now believe the figure has risen to more than 400,000, although updated nationwide government statistics are not currently available to verify the estimate.
Many children employed in domestic work are reportedly required to perform long hours of household chores, often for little or no pay. Advocacy groups warn that some are exposed to physical, emotional and sexual abuse while being denied access to education and normal childhood development.
“Child domestic work is one of the most pervasive yet overlooked forms of child exploitation in Kenya,” said Ruth Kimani, Head of Programmes for Africa at the Freedom Fund.
She said many children enter domestic service due to circumstances beyond their control, including poverty, family breakdown, food insecurity and climate-related shocks that affect household incomes.
Growing Calls for Protection
Campaigners are urging stronger enforcement of child protection laws and greater public awareness of the risks associated with employing children as domestic workers.
Recent developments have included the recognition of child domestic work within child protection frameworks in some counties, including Busia County. Advocates have also welcomed progress towards strengthening labour protections through international standards aimed at safeguarding domestic workers.
While Kenya has laws prohibiting the worst forms of child labour and protecting children’s rights, campaigners argue that enforcement remains a challenge, particularly in private households where abuse can go undetected.
Public Awareness Campaign
The Not Invisible Anymore campaign seeks to encourage communities to identify and report suspected cases of child exploitation.
“The message is simply to stop child domestic work. Every child deserves safety, education and opportunity,” said Brian Mulama, Nairobi County Executive Committee Member for Talents, Skills Development and Care.
Child protection organisations are urging members of the public to remain vigilant and report concerns involving children who may be subjected to abuse, neglect or exploitation.
How to Report Concerns
Anyone who suspects a child is being exploited, abused or forced into domestic labour can contact Kenya’s toll-free child protection helpline on 116.
Advocates say tackling child domestic labour will require coordinated efforts by government agencies, communities, employers and families to address the underlying economic and social pressures that place children at risk.
For campaigners, the goal is not only to rescue affected children but also to ensure that domestic labour is recognised as a child protection issue that can no longer remain hidden from public view.
