Social Determinants of Vulnerability of Missing Children: The case of Nairobi Children’s Remand Home, Nairobi County, Kenya

Ndung’u, Esther Mugure; Mavole, Johnson Nzau; Muhingi, Wilkins Ndege; Sanganya, Noah

Social Determinants of Vulnerability of Missing Children: The case of Nairobi Children’s Remand Home, Nairobi County, Kenya

dc.contributor.author	Ndung’u, Esther Mugure
dc.contributor.author	Mavole, Johnson Nzau
dc.contributor.author	Muhingi, Wilkins Ndege
dc.contributor.author	Sanganya, Noah
dc.date.accessioned	2024-02-15T08:55:09Z
dc.date.available	2021-10-14T10:58:39Z
dc.date.available	2024-02-15T08:55:09Z
dc.date.issued	2018-03-31
dc.description	Journal Article	en_US
dc.description.abstract	The situation of missing children is one of the most emotional social issues worldwide. Children go missing throughout the world as a result of human trafficking, organised crime, labour exploitation, sexual exploitation, illicit adoption among other reasons. The main objective of this study was to establish the social determinants that influence vulnerability of missing children in Nairobi Children’s Remand Home, Kenya. The study was anchored on the ecological systems theory by Bronfenbrenuer. This study used the concurrent mixed methods approach where both quantitative and qualitative data was collected, specifically adopting descriptive designs. The target populations were children officers, parents of missing children, missing children, and police officers. The sample size was 61 children sampled using the census sampling technique. Purposive sampling was also used to select respondents from the other categories. Data was collected using questionnaires, FDGs and interview guides. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS Version 22, while qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. Quantitative data results were presented using charts, tables, and graphs, while qualitative data results were presented in narratives. From the study, majority of the missing children (52.4%) were of the age of 7-12 years and majority were boys (68.7%). However, between the ages of 13-18 majority were girls with 62.1%. The parents of the respondents were mainly single (61.1%), most lived in informal settlements (80.4%) and were casual labourers (60.7%) with low incomes. The main reasons why the respondents left home included child abuse (23.3%) and running away (40 %). Income generated by the missing children’s parents or guardians was not significantly different across the different marital statuses since a p value of 0.443 was obtained, which was more than the study p value, which was 0.05. Government protection systems for missing children were seen to be inadequate as there were no laws, policies, and guidelines that deal with missing children. The study recommended that the Government come up with guidelines/policies and laws for missing children, a national database for all missing children, enhanced reporting systems for abused children, as well as economic empowerment for parents with low incomes.
dc.description.sponsorship	PAC University
dc.identifier.citation	Ndung’u, E. M., Mavole, J. N., Muhingi, W. N., & Sanganya, N. (2018). Social Determinants of Vulnerability of Missing Children: The case of Nairobi Children’s Remand Home, Nairobi County, Kenya. International Journal of Social and Development Concerns, 2(1), 30–45.	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	2524-1478
dc.identifier.uri	https://repo.pacuniversity.ac.ke/handle/123456789/3439.2
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.publisher	International Journal of Social and Development Concerns	en_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries	Vol. 2;No. 1
dc.subject	Missing Children	en_US
dc.subject	Informal Settlements	en_US
dc.subject	Government Protection Systems	en_US
dc.title	Social Determinants of Vulnerability of Missing Children: The case of Nairobi Children’s Remand Home, Nairobi County, Kenya	en_US
dc.type	Article	en_US