On the morning of June 26, 2004, six-year-old Hope* was walking to her mother’s grocery stand in the company of her sister. As they passed through a bushy area, the girls were accosted by a familiar male neighbor. He dragged Hope into the thicket and sexually assaulted her as her sister ran to their mother’s stand for help.

Upon arriving at the scene to aid her daughter, Hope’s mother immediately took her to the police station and later to a government hospital under police escort. The perpetrator was subsequently arrested and charged in Hope’s assault, but when he realized the gravity of the charges, he enlisted the help of a corrupt police officer and a clinical officer. The clinician forged a medical report indicating that Hope was never raped, and although the document was from a different hospital from the one that administered treatment to Hope, the falsified report was admitted in court as evidence. On numerous occasions, the investigating police officer gave Hope and other witnesses the wrong court dates, a tactic designed to frustrate the judge and prompt him/her to drop the case altogether.

Hope’s mother approached an international NGO, which then referred the case to IJM. With the help of IJM Kenya staff, Hope and her family received the correct court dates and appeared at the hearing to testify. However, the investigating police officer ignored the summons to appear in court, and the prosecutor was forced to withdraw the case.

With the case dropped, Hope’s attacker was released from prison, and he began to send death threats to Hope’s family. Hope’s mother was escorted to and from her grocery stand by her sons, unable to travel alone.

Though two government officials had been an impediment to Hope’s pursuit of justice, IJM appealed to a higher-ranking police officer, and she ordered the unconditional and immediate re-arrest of the perpetrator. Two days later, Hope’s attacker was arrested and the case was set to begin all over again.

IJM Kenya caseworkers offered legal and social support to Hope’s family during the trial, ensuring that the correct medical report was presented and that Hope was prepared to testify about her ordeal for the second time. She presented a moving testimony in court, and on April 27, 2007, nearly three years after Hope was assaulted, her attacker was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

Earlier this year, IJM Kenya celebrated the conviction of the perpetrator in Hillary’s* case. In the fall of 2004, 12-year-old Hillary was repeatedly raped by her next door neighbor, a man who collected rent for the family’s landlord.

Hillary had become pregnant as a result of the assault, and though DNA testing of Hillary’s infant son indicated that the man next door was the father, the case dragged through the courts for over two years. Finally, in January 2007, Hillary’s rapist was convicted of child rape and sentenced to nine years in prison.

Hillary currently attends boarding school, and she happily reports that she enjoys her studies and community. IJM aftercare staff have secured antiretroviral drugs for Hillary’s HIV-stricken mother and worked with the local church and referral partner to ensure that Hillary’s son has a babysitter. IJM has also helped to secure funds for Hillary’s schooling so that she can continue her studies.