Kenya is regional leader in child and teen protection but falls short of minimum standard, global Index reveals

Advocates call for Kenya to criminalize family abuse and update its National Action Plan, which expired in 2023

• The 2026 Out of the Shadows Index ranks 60 countries, across six regions – together home to 83% of the world’s children – on national action to address sexual violence against children and adolescents.
• Kenya ranks 1st regionally with a score of 60.1/100 and is home to approximately 24.6 million children and adolescents.
• Advocates call for Kenya to update its National Action Plan, which expired in 2023, and criminalize intrafamilial abuse.

GENEVA, May 18, 2026 — Kenya ranks 1st in the Eastern & Southern Africa and West & Central Africa region, and 4th within its income category, with an overall score of 60.1 out of 100 in the 2026 Out of the Shadows Index, a new global benchmark assessing countries based on the minimum laws, policies, and services necessary to address sexual violence against children and adolescents. 

The Index, researched and developed by Economist Impact with advocacy led by Together for Girls, assesses 60 countries representing 83% of the world’s children across 4 pillars: Governance and Accountability (coordinated national action); Prevention (child protection); Healing (high-quality care); and Justice (strong legal systems). The Index does not measure the prevalence of such violence.

“Behind every data point in this Index is a child whose life has been shaped by violence,” said Elly Vaughan, who led the research at Economist Impact. “Governments have primarily built systems that respond to abuse after the fact, but too few are investing in stopping it before it happens.”

Kenya’s scores on the four pillars are as follows:

• Governance and accountability: 48.9/100
• Prevention: 30/100
• Healing: 70/100
• Justice: 70.6/100

“Kenya’s position reflects important progress in strengthening national systems, policies, and coordination to address violence against children,” said Kanga Rasi, Deputy Director, Campaigns & Advocacy, Together for Girls.  
“Kenya stands out from its regional peers in setting the marriage age at 18 with no exceptions and establishing one of the region's most comprehensive legal definitions of grooming. It has set a standard. The question is now whether Kenya’s systems and funding can match the strength of its legal framework."

Despite strengths and a relatively strong ranking, gaps remain. Together for Girls, the advocacy lead for the Out of the Shadows Index, identified the following recommendations for the Kenyan government to improve its systems, including:

• Update the National Action Plan, which expired in 2023, to cover both in-person and online sexual violence against children.
• Enact legislation to criminalize intrafamilial sexual abuse and abuse by people in positions of authority in all roles and settings.
• Increase overall budget transparency
• Hold Internet Service Providers accountable for reporting suspected child sexual abuse material.
• Enable cross-border law enforcement through laws allowing extradition and extraterritoriality. 
• Ratify key protective international legal instruments.

With a global commitment to eliminate childhood sexual violence by 2030 — and no country currently on track — the findings underscore the need for sustained prevention-focused investment and continued strengthening of survivor-informed policymaking.

PRESS CONTACTS

For questions about the research, contact: media@economist.com

For questions about how to use the Index to drive advocacy and engagement efforts, contact: Christy Delafield christy@togetherforgirls.org 

Notes to editors:

Support and resources: If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, support is available. Find resources by country.

About the Out of the Shadows Index: The Out of the Shadows Index is the global benchmark of national governments' efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence against children and adolescents. The Index is researched and developed by Economist Impact, with advocacy and engagement efforts led by Together for Girls.

It ranks 60 countries across 6 regions, which together are home to 83% of the world’s children. The Index scores countries across 23 indicators, covering laws, policies, programs, and services that a government should have in place to end sexual violence against children and adolescents in their country.

First launched in 2019 and updated in 2022, the 2026 edition marks its third iteration, and the 4th will be launched in 2027.

About the Out of the Shadows Index Kenya Data: There are 24.6 million children in Kenya, which represents 5.4% of the region's total population under the age of 18. 

Kenya is a leader in the Eastern & Southern Africa and West & Central Africa region. It is one of only four countries globally to have conducted repeat Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) in 2010 and 2019, providing critical data to inform evidence-based policy to end violence against children and adolescents. 

Progress has been substantial. In the decade between surveys, prevalence rates of childhood sexual violence among young women fell by 50%. 

This decline has been attributed in part to strong government leadership, including the enactment of a new Constitution in 2010 explicitly guaranteeing children’s rights to live free from violence, as well as laws such as the 2022 Children Act, which bans corporal punishment in all settings. The Act also clearly defines and criminalizes online grooming of children for sexual purposes, something few countries have done comprehensively. 

Kenya has also introduced key frameworks, including the 2017 guidelines on child-friendly justice, and 2018 standard procedures for the clinical management of children who experience sexual violence. The government invested in human resource development and systems strengthening, meaningful child participation, and expanded violence against children prevention services through community-level interventions. 

Donor-funded initiatives, such as the DREAMS program, likely contributed as well. Kenya further established a National Action Plan addressing online sexual violence against children, reinforcing its commitment to addressing emerging forms of abuse. Kenya is the only country in the Index in the region that is connected to INTERPOL’s International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE).