The dilemma of lesbian schoolgirls

However, some girls go to boarding school with their innocence already shattered. Fathers are sexually arousing their little daughters, not necessarily through penetrative sex, but by fondling their breasts and touching their private parts, the counsellor says.

She gave the example of a girl who went through such treatment between the ages of 11 and 13, and who later fell easy prey to an older woman, and sometimes, older men.

Dr Mwiti attributes lesbianism in boarding schools to poor support for girls, saying some teachers don’t know what is happening to the students.

“In our days, we had parents and teachers who mixed freely with us, but today, are we supporting and caring for children in the family?” she asks.

Borrowing from the biblical verse saying: “Train the child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it," Dr Mwiti states that training the child is not just a Christian imposition but is also part of our traditional heritage.

Some experts attribute lesbianism and homosexuality among children to media influence, which drives youngsters’ appetite for pornography.

They say that lesbianism is one of the main reasons teenagers are seeking psychological counselling.