NAIROBI, Kenya — The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has launched the 15th cohort of the 160 Girls Prosecution Training, reinforcing efforts to enhance the capacity of prosecutors handling defilement cases through trauma-informed approaches.
The four-day training programme, organised in partnership with The Equality Effect, brings together prosecutors from across the country to strengthen their skills in investigating and prosecuting sexual offences involving children while ensuring survivors are treated with dignity and sensitivity.
Secretary of Prosecution Services Alloys Kemo, O.G.W., who presided over the launch, said the initiative represents a shift in how prosecutors understand and respond to child victims of sexual violence.
“This is not a routine capacity-building exercise but a paradigm shift grounded in the neurobiology of trauma. It equips prosecutors with the skills to understand why victims delay disclosure, why witness accounts may appear inconsistent, and why evidence can seem fragmented or incoherent,” Kemo said.
Trauma-informed justice
The programme focuses on helping prosecutors appreciate the effects of trauma on survivors, enabling them to build stronger cases while safeguarding the rights and welfare of child victims.
The Equality Effect’s Global Legal Advisor, Anne Ireri, encouraged participants to embrace the training as an interactive platform for sharing experiences and identifying practical solutions to challenges encountered in prosecuting defilement cases.
She noted that Kenya already has a robust legal and policy framework for addressing sexual offences, adding that the priority should now be ensuring those laws are implemented effectively to deliver justice for survivors.
Strengthening prosecution
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Ebby Maswai, who facilitated a session on understanding trauma and defilement, underscored the importance of recognising the psychological impact of sexual violence on children.
“Every victim of defilement who walks into the justice system carries a unique trauma story. As prosecutors, understanding that trauma is essential to ensuring our pursuit of justice is both effective and compassionate,” she said.
Participants will also receive training on institutional betrayal, applying trauma-informed evidence in defilement cases, improving collaboration among justice sector agencies, strengthening police investigations, prosecution planning and the use of prosecution checklists and best practices.
Building on the 160 Girls initiative
The 160 Girls Prosecution Training is part of broader reforms aimed at improving the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases in Kenya.
Through collaboration between the ODPP and The Equality Effect, the programme seeks to strengthen prosecutors’ ability to present evidence effectively, support survivors throughout the justice process, and improve conviction rates in defilement cases while upholding the rights of child victims.