Sexual Harassment, Abuse and Healing in East Africa.

Sexual harassment is a serious problem in East Africa. Sexual harassment can occur where one person uses a position of authority to compel another person to engage in an otherwise unwanted sexual activity. Sexual harassment leaves inner wounds in a person that affect negatively their psychological and spiritual lives. In the context of Africa, often it is women who are the targets of sexual harassment but not always. This paper addresses one of the most pernicious violations of that trust. Not only in East Africa, but globally, children are traumatized by sexual abuse, harassment, and discriminatory behaviour at the hands of those on whom they rely for their well-being. In my ministry of teaching, giving motivational seminars and advising secondary school girls and boys in academic issues and in their process of growth through adolescent period, I personally have come across many similar cases. It provoked me to think about the problem. Therefore, in this paper I intend to address some of the issues of sexual harassment, give a brief explanation of what these experiences are, bring to awareness some of the causes, explore their impact on growth and development and propose some ways of enabling such victims to seek healing and integration