Should boys aged 17 and below serve lengthy jail terms for having sexual relations with their female age mates? This is the question confronting many magistrates presiding over trials of underage boys charged with defiling their equally underage girlfriends. He was charged with defiling his 14-year-old girlfriend who sneaked in for a sleepover in Korogocho slums, Nairobi. For instance, POO, a 16-year-old boy in Homa Bay, was charged in 2016 with defiling his 16-year-old girlfriend. “… The underlying principle is that the criminal justice system should take account of a defendant’s age, level of maturity, and emotional capacity.

Source: Daily Nation October 16, 2020 06:11 UTC