Factors contributing to sexual assault in children 1–13 years admitted at nairobi women's hospital, Nairobi, Kenya

The general wellbeing of children is very important. However, the increasing incidence of sexual assault of children in Kenya is a major concern especially in this era of HIV/AIDS.

To establish the factors associated with sexual assault in children below 13 years seeking medical attention at the Nairobi Women's Hospital.

This was a descriptive cross sectional study. The study population was the guardians of sexually assaulted children seeking medical attention at Nairobi women's hospital. A systematic random sampling technique was used to get the sample size which was 131. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.1 program.

Most of the guardians (70%) who accompanied the survivors to the hospital were females. Majority of the survivors (80%) were girls. Most of the survivors were aged between 6–11 years. Majority (70%) of the respondents knew the perpetrators. Majority of the children (80%) had been involved in the income generating activities hence exposing them to rape. More than half (60%) of the sexual assault cases occurred during the day and 60% of the respondents were assaulted by the relatives. Income levels were associated with sexual assault (χ² =120.0, p<0.000).

Several factors contribute to increasing incidence of sexual assault.