Child prostitution is common in the large Nairobi slum of Korogocho, accounting for forty-percent of the commercial sex-trade in the area. Many young Kenyan girls living in the slum who turn to prostitution to escape extreme poverty find themselves vulnerable to violence, rape and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV-AIDs. According to official government estimates, at least 12 percent of Kenyans infected with HIV-AIDS are younger than 16.
A non-governmental organization, the Miss Koch Initiative, works to help girls escape sexual exploitation in Korogocho through mentorship programs and education. The organization, which was started in 2001 to combat the “high incidence of rape in the slum,” recently helped 15 girls leave the commercial sex trade in Korogocho. Some of these girls have started small businesses and work to mentor other girls in the slum.
Compiled from: Ruvaga, Lenny, Group Works to Stem Child Prostitution in Nairobi Slums, Voice of America (September 9, 2014).