Landmark training in Kenya to tackle online child sexual abuse
Summary:
Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), in partnership with IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children, has launched a landmark training programme to tackle online child sexual abuse.
The training was led by experts including IJM Kenya Director Mr. Vincent Chahale and Atty. Ralph Vincent Catedral, Prosecution Specialist at IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.
Reflecting on IJM's role in the training, Director of Public Prosecutions Mr. Ingonga noted, “This collaboration exemplifies how strategic alliances can protect vulnerable children.”
The five-day training in Nairobi brought together 25 lawyers from the ODPP’s Child Justice Unit and other law enforcement officers. It strengthened officials’ capacity to respond to CyberTipline reports, provide digital evidence, and improve on survivor-informed prosecutions.
Online child sexual exploitation is a “grave violation of children’s rights – pervasive, borderless, and deeply traumatising” said Mr. Ingonga. “As prosecutors, you are on the frontline of this battle.”
Mr. Ingonga highlighted the alarming rise in cases of livestreamed abuse and distribution of child sexual exploitation material.
He outlined the ODPP’s progress, including the establishment of a dedicated Child Justice Unit, child-friendly interview rooms in nine locations, and increased reliance on digital forensics, as well as affirming the ODPP’s commitment to grow further in cross-border collaboration.
IJM also joined the ODPP at the opening of a two-day training for 50 prosecutors from the Nairobi Region on the Decision to Charge Guidelines.
The guidelines contain rules that a prosecutor must observe before a decision to charge a person with a crime is made.
The training was officially opened by Mr. Ingonga and IJM's Vincent Chahale, underscoring our shared commitment to fair, transparent, and accountable prosecution.
Since 2019, IJM has partnered with the ODPP in developing and promoting the Decision to Charge Guidelines. Addressing the prosecutors, Mr. Chahale noted that this collaboration is a testament to our joint vision of a criminal justice system that protects the rights of all, especially the most vulnerable in society.
Vincent Chahale shared, "As we move forward, let us remember that the strength of our justice system lies not only in the frameworks we establish but in our collective resolve to uphold them.
"We have the opportunity to create a justice system that genuinely serves all Kenyans, ensuring that the rights of the vulnerable are protected and that justice is not merely an aspiration, but a reality."
IJM had the privilege to be part of the task force that developed these guidelines and has supported public awareness through community dialogues in Nairobi and the Coast between 2021 and 2022.
Since 2024, IJM has supported the nationwide sensitisation of prosecutors on the Decision to Charge Guidelines. To date, over 220 prosecutors across eight regions have been reached.
IJM’s involvement follows on from similar training in Côte D’Ivoire last year, where law enforcement officials learnt to identify sex offenders and better protect children from exploitation online.
But this horrific crime is global, fuelled by viewers in the UK. That’s why IJM is also running an advocacy campaign here in the UK, calling on MPs to legislate for technology that protects children from livestreamed sexual abuse.