Nairobi — The Teachers Service Commission has urged parents, teachers, religious leaders, community leaders and civil society to help fight child abuse in schools.

The commission on Monday said the problem needed collective effort to be dealt with effectively.

The call comes after the Daily Nation had on Monday carried a story based on a report by the TSC on the shocking extent to which schoolgirls fall prey to sexual predators their own teachers.

Power and lust

The survey indicates that close to 90 per cent of the sexual abuse cases never reach the TSC.

While addressing a forum organised by the commission to debate how best to handle the situation, the chairman, Mr Ibrahim Hussein, attributed the motive for sexual assault on children to power and lust.

"Until the combination of these two factors is effectively addressed, one can expect that sexual assault generally and child sexual assault in particular will continue," said Mr Hussein.

He added: "That is why we must all unite and fight the common enemy."

The commission's secretary and chief executive. Mr Gabriel Lengoiboni said: "We need the support of stakeholders such as religious leaders, the civil society, community leaders, parents and teachers, as well as Ministry of Education officials, from the headquarters to the grassroots level."

It emerged that policy was a barrier to harsher penalties since the Act establishing TSC only allows dismissal and de-registering of a teacher proved guilty of child abuse.

The forum, which was organised in collaboration with the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness, was told that these policies and procedures in dealing with sexual abuse cases were a hindrance to addressing the menace.

Ms Joan Ngunnzi said the current situation where reports have gone up can be a hindrance to effective management of abuse cases, especially where education officials are compromised.

She made the remark while presenting the TSC report she jointly compiled with Mr Michael Wachira capturing information between 2003 and 2007.

Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers chairman Akelo Misori urged TSC to address the issue objectively, saying in the past the commission handled the issue in a skewed manner.

Doing its best

But the chairman of the TSC appeals board, Mr Samuel Kivuitu, said the commission was doing its best as it cannot prosecute or jail given what is spelt out in the Act establishing it.

Chairman of the Kenya National Association of Parents Musau Ndunda attributed the escalation of cases to school trips and posting of unmarried male teachers to girls' schools and evening classes that run until late in the night.

"Some male teachers even escort the girls to their homes after tuition. What then is expected?" he asked.

Retired Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi urged the Kenya Institute of Education to include in the syllabus subjects that could help ground the children's morality and their rights.

"Teachers are supposed to be role models to these children," he said.