Concerns over child marriage, teenage pregnancy and the influence of changing social practices have intensified in Nabilatuk, with residents calling for stronger measures to protect school-going girls.
Residents of Arengesiep Village in Nabilatuk Town Council raised the concerns during a police community baraza supported by International Justice Mission (IJM), where they also called for closer monitoring of herders grazing in the area.
The residents linked some of their concerns to changing dress practices among Pian girls who marry into the Pokot community in neighbouring Amudat District.
They say some of the girls return home wearing miniskirts, which they describe as different from traditional Pian dressing, and claims that younger girls have begun copying the style.
Lucy Iriama, a resident of Arengesiep, says the community was already struggling to combat teenage pregnancy and fear that emerging social trends could make the problem worse.
Jessica Napeyok says her daughter, who married into the Pokot community, began buying miniskirts for her younger siblings, prompting her to confiscate and burn them.
Responding to the concerns, Nabilatuk Resident District Commissioner Linos Lotem, who is of Pokot origin, acknowledges that miniskirts are part of Pokot culture but says he would engage the Pokot community on appropriate dressing when visiting Pian communities. Lotem also warns parents against facilitating child marriages by accepting bride price and remaining silent.
By URN
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