ACLJ’S EAST AFRICA OFFICE FIGHTS TO END SEXUAL SLAVERY AND HELP CHILD BRIDES IN KENYA

June 9, 2016

2 min read

Human Rights

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(Washington, DC) – Girls as young as 10 years old in Samburu county in Kenya are being forced into child marriage and sexual slavery, directly violating numerous state and international laws, which the American Center for Law and Justice and its East African affiliate—the

East African Centre for Law and Justice (EACLJ)—are fighting to stop. The most recent case involves John Lepil Lolkile, a member of the County Assembly in Samburu county known locally as Lemulugo, who is accused of marrying and impregnating multiple young girls. Next week the EACLJ will take the case to the Nanyuki High Court. Attorneys with the EACLJ say Lolkile is also using his government position to intimidate those who are helping to seek justice for the young girls.

During the past year, lawyers with the ACLJ and EACLJ have fought to bring awareness and justice to the practice of forced child marriages and mutilations of the Samburu girls in northern Kenya.

These actions are inhuman and illegal, but the practice continues in the region. The child brides often face rape and even female genital mutilation.

“The illegal practice of forced child marriage needs to be stopped in its tracks. We are doing all we can to ensure these precious little girls are protected from this horrific practice,” says CeCe Heil, executive counsel with the ACLJ.

The ACLJ and EACLJ have an online petition to help bring awareness about this tragic situation and to stop the forced child marriages and sexual enslavement of Kenyan girls.

Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses on constitutional law and is based in Washington. The EACLJ, an affiliate to the ACLJ based in Kenya, is a non-governmental nonprofit seeking to protect human and women’s rights, and enhancing the societal protection of children.