Great Lakes leaders split over chemical castration as child protection crisis deepens

A fierce debate is unfolding in the Great Lakes region as lawmakers grapple with how far governments should go to curb rising cases of rape and early child marriage—two crises increasingly framed as both public health and political failures.

Meeting in Kenya on Tuesday, Members of Parliament from across the region came under heavy criticism for what civil society groups described as weak legislative frameworks that fail to deter sexual violence or protect children from harmful cultural practices.

At the center of the controversy is a proposal contained in Kenya’s Gender-Based Violence (GBV) taskforce report recommending chemical castration for convicted rapists.

The proposal by the former Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza-led team sharply divided lawmakers, exposing deep tensions between human rights, public health, and criminal justice.

Dr. Katakwe Alex, a Zambian MP, strongly opposed the measure, warning that chemical castration poses serious health risks.

He cited medical evidence showing that suppressing male sex hormones can lead to osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and long-term physical deterioration.

“You cannot claim to protect life while endorsing a punishment that permanently damages the body and violates fundamental human rights,” he argued.

Kenya’s Nominated MP Suleka Harun echoed the concern, accusing the Baraza-led taskforce of lacking human sensitivity.

“It is frivolous. We cannot correct one wrong with another wrong,” she said, insisting that justice must remain humane and constitutional.

However, lawmakers from Tanzania pushed back, emphasizing that the gravity of rape demands severe punishment.

Advocate Denis Bwana argued that leniency sends the wrong signal in societies where survivors—especially girls—are already silenced.

“Once you ruin a daughter’s life and the law finds you guilty, punishment is inevitable. That said, Parliament must still refine the bill to balance justice, health, and rights,” he said.

Beyond punishment, the meeting—hosted by the Eastern Africa National Networks of AIDS and Health Service Organizations—shifted focus to prevention, particularly the alarming rise in early child marriages across Zambia, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

According to Kenya’s National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), early marriage remains a major driver of poor health outcomes for girls, including maternal mortality, school dropout, and lifelong poverty.

Regional MPs agreed that child marriage is not just a cultural issue but a public health emergency undermining Africa’s future workforce and development.

They are now drafting a regional bill aimed at protecting both the girl child and boy child, while calling on the World Health Organization to urgently fund large-scale campaigns against child marriage.

“We cannot continue losing brilliant African girls to early marriages,” said Robert Athewa of the Access to Medicines Platform. “Health funding must prioritize education, prevention, and empowerment—now, not later.”

As the Great Lakes region confronts intersecting crises of sexual violence, child marriage, and weak enforcement, lawmakers face a defining question: Will political courage finally match the scale of the health emergency?