Lack of P3 forms for defilement cases remains an impediment in the fight against sexual abuse among children in Mwala, Subcounty Children’s Officer Sarah Solomon has said.
Sarah said majority of the children sexually assaulted from poor backgrounds could not afford the Sh1,500 fee required to have the P3 form filled by a clinical officer or doctor in public health facilities.
The Kenya Police Medical Examination Form popularly known as P3 form is a medical form for assault and sexual abuse cases filled by a police officer and then taken to a government clinician who assesses the extent of the injuries.
It is a legal document that is later presented in court as part of the evidence.
Speaking at the Deputy County Commissioner’s boardroom today during the Area Advisory Committee (AAC) meeting, the Children Officer said such victims ended up not getting justice while the perpetrators go scot free.
She disclosed that efforts to have the fee waived by the county government has not borne any fruits and called on well-wishers to pay for the form for victims who cannot afford.
“A P3 form is mandatory evidence and lack of it means that children matters are not taken to court, our plea is for both state and non-state actors to chip in and pay for the cases to be prosecuted,” noted Sarah.
The Children Officer also decried the rising cases of bhang smoking among teenagers and called for collaboration among stakeholders to curb the vice.
She termed the trend as worrying especially among young boys in secondary schools. “We have had several cases of secondary boys smoking cannabis and this needs to be stemmed early enough,” said Sarah.
