Child protection in Kenya

Worldwide, children most at risk of coming into conflict with the law are often those from vulnerable situations and difficult family circumstances, including a background of poverty, family breakdown, parental abuse, and alcoholism. In Kenya, 80% of children appearing before the juvenile court are street children, some arrested for committing crimes, and some taken in to be ‘processed’ by the care and protection system. Free and compulsory education, once provided for Kenyan children, is no longer a reality, and this is seen to be a major cause of children conflicting with the law. The “APRIRE” project was a three-year child protection program (extended to 43 months) funded by the AICS and implemented by The Tree of Life in partnership with the Directorate of Children Services and the Department of Probation and Aftercare Service with the goal of promoting the well-being and the protection of 20,000 vulnerable children and families in Kenya by supporting the Government of Kenya in the process of deinstitutionalization, promoting restorative justice, strengthening Juvenile Justice Services, and implementing alternative family care options with Kinship and Foster Care as main focuses.

In the context of APRIRE, our experts have provided technical expertise to evaluate the project performance at the project end. ENV formulated recommendations to improve and replicate the model for child protection and restorative justice in Kenya