A MONTHLY MAGAZINE BY PEACE INITIATIVE KENYA (PIK) PROJECT
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INSIDE
Crucial time ahead for the Protection Against Domestic Violence bill 2013 PAGE 4
Fanis Lisiagali:
PIK project partner scoops UN person of the year runner-up award
Statistics on domestic violence indicate a worrying trend PAGE 6
Entertainment used to identify champions in fight against GBV PAGE 11
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
About Peace Initiative Kenya
P
eace Initiative Kenya (PIK) is a threeyear USAID funded project working towards the prevention of and response to gender based violence (GBV) in Kenya. The project aims at supporting prevention of Gender Based Violence and improving the current GBV response framework at the national and county levels. The PIK project is implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), together with local partners; Coalition on Violence against Women (COVAW), Rural Women’s Peace Link (RWPL), Sauti Ya Wanawake – Pwani, Health Care Assistance Kenya (HAK) through GBV hotline 1195 and African Woman and Child Feature Service (AWC).
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Grim statistics on domestic violence
Strengthen county engagement in preventing and responding to GBV
Increase access and utilization of GBV services through community outreach and other awareness raising efforts
Contact Information
Community paralegal upscale response on GBV
Kodhek Road
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Phone: +254 726082140
Long walk to end GBV
Regent Court, along Argwings Contact the Chief of Party Email: PIK@rescue.org
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Africa Woman and Child Feature Service
Gender crimes unit established
facebook.com/GBVServiceProviders
Nairobi Baptist Church Court, Green Lane, off Ngong Road Nairobi
Phone: +254 20 2720554, +254 722 209510 Email: info@awcfs.org
Website: www.awcfs.org Twitter: @AWCFS
Facebook: African Woman & Child
Managing Editor:
CONTRIBUTORS
Jebiwot Sumbeiywo Joyce Muchena Simon Panyako Valine Moraa
Jane Godia
AWC Team
SUB EDITOR:
Managing Director:
Faith Muiruri
Benson Mwanga Henry Kahara Valentine Atieno Joseph Mukubwa Valine Moraa Ben Oroko Joyline Apondi Faith Muiruri
Programme Manager:
Ruth Omukhango
This production is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. | october 2014 | VOLUME 4
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International Rescue Committee
IRC Team
Arthur Okwemba
Board to enforce compliance of PADV Bill Page 6
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At the national level, the PIK project works closely with the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), Ministry of Devolution and Planning, specifically the Directorate of Gender, Anti-Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Board and other stakeholders to support the Government in creating an enabling environment for coordination of GBV prevention and service provision.
Editorial Team
To improve national and county-level genderbased violence (GBV) service delivery systems and policy implementation.
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Project Objectives:
The project covers nine counties: Taita Taveta, Kwale, Mombasa, Kisumu, Migori, Kisii, Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Trans Nzoia to improve GBV prevention, as well as increase access and utilization of GBV services through community outreach and other awareness raising efforts.
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Project Goal:
Contents
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
Page 13 Defence skills vital in prevention of rape Page 15 Sexual harassment in Taveta leaves officers emotionally frustrated
Ruth Omukhango DESIGN & printing:
Vieve360
AFRICAN WOMAN AND CHILD FEATURE
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Board to oversee
proceedings.
According to Majiwa, the persons include an officer of the court; parties to the proceedings and their advocates, if any; a representative; witnesses; and any other person whom the court permits to be present.
compliance in proposed law
Shelters
The proposed law paves way for the establishment of temporary emergency shelters or safe houses and any other relevant services for the protection of victims of domestic violence.
By Faith Muiruri
W
hen the Media exposed Eliud Kinyanjui, 65, for tying up his wife Salome Wambui, 57 with a rope and dragging her to the Lari Police Station, following a domestic scuffle, he was certainly not privy to a law that has been crafted to deal with cases of domestic violence. The Protection Against Domestic Violence (PADV) Bill 2013, which is only a stage away to becoming a law, was not enough to deter Kinyanjui who dragged his wife to the Lari Police Station five kilometres away. “We quarrelled because my husband has married another wife. I have 10 children with him and he is threatening to start selling the family land,” Wambui said. Wambui ‘s case represents that of scores of helpless victims of domestic violence who will benefit from the legislation that seeks to protect victims of domestic violence and provide protection for spouses and children or dependants within the family unit. Board
Already proposals are in place to establish a Protection Against Domestic Violence Board. The board is to become effective if new proposals introduced into the Bill are adopted before the floor of the august House.
The proposed law mandates the board to design, supervise and coordinate public awareness programmes on protection against domestic violence.
The board will also advise the Government on matters relating to protection against domestic violence and ensure compliance of this proposed law. The proposed legislation also vests the board with powers to formulate a policy on the planning, financing and coordinating of all activities relating to the protection against domestic violence.
Further, the board will provide technical and other support to institutions, agencies and other bodies
A framework is to be developed to guide the establishment of the shelters which must be registered and run in accordance with the values and principles of the constitution.
The framework will also guide the operations of the shelters including criteria for admission, length of stay, benefits as well as terms and conditions of such stay among others. The shelters may be located in designated premises, adapted community facilities and mobile facilities.
The emergency shelters are to be decentralized to the lowest levels in the communities to facilitate access to protective mechanisms by all survivors of domestic violence regardless of their location in the country.
Eliud Kinyanjui, drags his wife Salome Wambui to the Lari Police Station, following a domestic scuffle. PHOTO: awc correspondent
engaged in the programmes aimed at mitigation, response and prevention of domestic violence.
The proposed law sets out that the board will also develop mechanisms to ensure timely, coordinated and effective response to cases of domestic violence; facilitate resource mobilization for the programmes and activities aimed at mitigation, response and prevention of domestic violence; and monitor and evaluate the progress of the implementation of the proposed law. Kitty
The law also proposes the creation of a Protection Against Domestic Violence kitty whose resources shall be generated from voluntary contributions; monies as Parliament may approve for purposes of the fund and grants from other sources.
“The monies of the fund shall be applied for the basic material support of victims; and any other matter connected with the counselling and rehabilitation of victims in their best interest,” explains lawyer Joyce Majiwa who is the lead consultant working on the PADV Bill. Further, Ken Okoth, MP Kibra is slated to introduce a new section in the bill which requires the Chief
Justice to establish specialized courts for dealing with domestic violence cases; give notice to affected persons; discharge an order issued pursuant to this proposed law; and the forms necessary for the purposes of this proposed law. Penalty
The Kibra MP will also introduce amendments to Section 43 which prescribes penalties for disobeying court protection orders.
“Where a protection order, whether interim or otherwise, is made and served personally on the accused and the accused contravenes the order in any respect, the accused commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding KSh100,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both,” reads the amendment in part. In addition, any person who commits an offence under this proposed law is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding KSh200,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both such fine and imprisonment.
Other proposals contained in Sections 35 specify the persons who may be present during court
Implementers will work with relevant community structures to ensure that temporary relief mechanisms provided are sensitive to the local and cultural contexts of the communities where they are established.
“The shelters must provide the protection required by victims of domestic violence without exposing the victims to further or other forms of violation and without compromising the values and principles of the Constitution.”
The proposed law seeks to give effect to Articles 29(c), 45 and 50 (9) as enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution. Article 29 (c) states that every person has the right to freedom and security, which includes the right not to be subjected to any form of violence from either public or private sources. Article 45 (1) stipulates that the family is the natural and fundamental unit of society and necessary basis of social disorder and shall enjoy the recognition and protection of the state. Article 50 (9) directs Parliament to enact legislation providing for the protection, rights and welfare of victims of offences.
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PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Crucial time ahead for the Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill 2013 By Jane Godia
A
lice*(not real name) is a mother mourning her two children. One of them is dead but the other has been sent to the gallows of Kamiti Maximum Prison for having stabbed his brother to death at their home. Alice is not alone in such a dilemma. Only recently, a 13-year-old boy in Trans Nzoia hit his 17-year old brother to death in a domestic disagreement that should not have resulted in death.
These two cases among many others that go unreported are clear evidence that violence in the family is with us and is real as they happen every day within the spaces where family members feel most safe.
It is this violence, which happens within the family set up that has necessitated the push for the Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill which is one among other laws that seek to address violence issues within families. The Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill 2013 if passed will protect a family and its members as well as seek rehabilitation for the perpetrators and temporary safe spaces for the victims. The Bill has already gone through the first and second reading in parliament, and now awaits for the third reading.
Members of Parliament, especially those who are in the Parliamentary Caucus for Human Rights have taken it upon themselves to mobilise their allies to develop amendments on the contested issues and develop a strategy to increase number of members supporting the Bill once it is presented for the third reading. Rationale
Most important to note is the fact that the arguments on the need for the Bill have been grounded in the Kenyan Constitution Chapter Four Bill of Rights.
In a meeting on Building Momentum and Consensus for the Bill held by civil society organisations and the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights in Naivasha, it was noted that the Bill is important because it seeks to address violence within the family and protect perpetrators and victims.
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Members of the Parliamentary Caucus for Human Rights who are working on the Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill. They are currently mobilizing their colleagues in the National Assembly to increase support once the bill is presented for the third reading. PHOTO: JANE GODIA
The Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights was started by legislators keen on ensuring human and women’s rights because there is no parliamentary committee on human rights that would address issues raised.
According to Ken Okoth, MP Kibra, the Caucus includes all genders and does not take party positions.
“The Caucus is standing up for the rights of Kenyans and wants to ensure rights are upheld in a bold, fearless and bipartisan manner,” Okoth explained. He noted: “Women’s rights, gender equality and human rights are a core agenda of the Parliamentary Caucus.”
Okoth reiterated that the Caucus wants to see the Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill seen to a successful end and that it must not be looked at as a women’s Bill.
Abdullahi Diriye, MP Wajir South and a member of the Caucus reiterated the fact that the Bill will protect men and women, boys and girls.
Diriye noted: “The Bill must be debunked from women because domestic violence also affects men and boys.”
perpetrator and leaving the victim more vulnerable.
“Domestic violence victims can be very vulnerable and that is why they need other people to take action for them,” said Majiwa in relation to the fact that the Bill allows that someone else takes action on behalf of those who are violated. She explained: “Children cannot go to court but they can run to somebody who will take action on their behalf.”
According to Dr Regina Mwatha, vice chairperson Commission on the Administrative of Justice, Office of the Ombudsman noted: “The Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill will end spouse battering, and children battering their parents.” She said: “The issue of domestic violence has been with us for a long time as matters of private domain. The Bill wants to ensure people care for themselves within a family set up.” Mwatha reiterated: “The Bill on domestic violence is being pushed because there has been lack of a legal framework to address domestic violence and provide support for those who are affected with the violence.”
Joyce Majiwa, the lead consultant working on the Bill reiterated that the Bill is meant to be protective to all persons in a domestic relationship.
According to Mwatha, the Bill needs to ensure that survivors of violence are given protection and offenders rehabilitation.
Dilemma
The Bill if passed into law and linked to initiatives such as the Peace Initiative Kenya Project that is being implemented in Kisumu, Migori, Kisii, Mombasa, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Trans Nzoia counties could help in making Kenya
According to Majiwa, all persons in a domestic set up must be protected and spouses who are separated must be included as family members. She noted that Kenyan laws are very punitive in nature, jailing the
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Intervention
a country that is free from all forms of gender based violence (GBV).
The Peace Initiative Kenya Project targets women and men as partners in GBV prevention, and stakeholders in positions of leadership as change agents in the fight against GBV. The Project works with other allies like spouses of county leaders such as county executives, religious leaders, members of parliament and other advocates for the project goals. The Peace Initiative Kenya Project in essence seeks to protect families and communities at large against all forms of gender based violence, and it is these ideals that the proposed Protection Against Domestic Violence law seeks to address. Speaking in Parliament, Augustino Neto, MP for Ndhiwa said: “The Bill is important because it gives effect to several provisions of the Constitution to the extent that it helps in protection and prevention of violence to the person. The Bill also provides for temporary houses of shelter.”
According to Neto, “This Bill provides for the creation of shelter houses; simple houses or havens where families or people who find themselves in this situation can find safety for some time.” Majiwa notes: “We do not want to break our families. The aim of the proposed law is to prevent violence within a domestic set up.” The PIK Project and its implementing partners are working in the counties where they would want to see all members of a community involved in the fight against GBV.
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
A refuge of hope Mary Faith Children’s Centre offers safety to girls who have been abused
“I am urging counsellors who are willing to volunteer in changing lives by counselling children survivors of sexual violence to contact us and we will give them that platform,” she urges.
“Being the only rescue centre in the larger Dagoretti sub-County of Nairobi, sometimes we get overwhelmed by the cases. Our space is also limited,” says Njeri who adds that they operate from a rented space.
By Henry Kahara
G
Upsurge
ender Based Violence (GBV) is considered a common phenomenon in
Kenya. Sexual and gender based violence including rape cases have become so rampant such that they occur anytime regardless of the place, including the safety of our homes. To make matters worse, parents who are supposed to offer protection to their children are at times the perpetrators. When close relatives become perpetrators, survivors usually do not have a place to turn to for their own safety. The current state of affairs has inspired the creation of safe houses to protect survivors of violence. One such place is the Mary Faith Children’s Centre where violated children seek refuge.
Started in 2004 by Mary Njeri, a teacher by profession, the centre has offered safe abode to child survivors of Sexual Gender Based Violence.
“I decided to leave my teaching job after I saw children being abused with no one to address their plight,” says Njeri who took the initiative of accommodating them in her house before the number increased and she was forced to look for bigger space. “I am passionate about the girl child, so it was not a big deal accommodating them in my house,” explains Njeri who takes in all girls irrespective of their ethnic community or nationality.
“I started with two girls. One was running away from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), she was a Somali. The other girl was a house help from Uganda who had been trafficked into Kenya all in the name of accessing greener pasture. She had been raped before being abandoned.” More than 250 girls have passed through Mary Faith Centre since its inception nine years ago. According
Njeri says that although GBV cases have been reported in the past, she admits that they are currently on the rise, especially among the minors.
ABOVE: Survivors of Gender Based Violence at the Mary Faith Centre in Dagoretti, Nairobi where they are being supported to rebuild their lives. INSET: Mary Njeri who runs the centre which houses more than 30 girls who are survivors of gender violence in families. Photos: George Ngesa
to Njeri, the first group of girls to be accommodated at the centre are currently undergoing vocational training. Achievement Njeri not only saves the girls but also ensures that justice prevails and offenders are punished. Njeri notes that all perpetrators who violated the girls under her wing have been brought to book to ensure justice prevails.
“We only lost one case because of a delay in moving to court hence the culprit’s image faded away from the child’s memory. The child could not remember him so when she was asked whether he is the one she said ‘no’,” Njeri explains. She adds: “I always release the girl to the parents after the perpetrator has been convicted, when it is not within the family.” This is done with conditions, where she talks to parents or guardians about the state of the child especially if it was a sexual violence case. “We mostly advocate for school transfer so that the child will not be stigmatized. We also recommend them to move from the estate they were living in. If it is their home we talk to the relatives and urge them to support the child,” says Njeri.
Currently the centre accommodates
“I think it is time the Government introduced Comprehensive Sexuality Education in primary and secondary schools to address issues of abstinence and age-appropriate time for sexual debut as well as medically accurate information about contraception.”
33 girls who are victims of sexual violence, child labour and abandonment. The youngest is two years old.
Although the centre mostly serves survivors aged 18 years and below, Njeri says that they also support women who come to them after they have been sexually or physically assaulted. “We also assist women who come to us after being beaten by their husbands or even evicted from their homes. We accommodate them even if it’s for a night.” Challenges
Currently the centre is experiencing challenges that range from lack of trained counsellors to space and resources.
She notes that sexual violence survivors need counsellors to help them come to terms with reality of what happened to them and also move on. “Most of these children, especially those who have been sexually molested are traumatized.They need counselling but we don’t have money to pay for counsellors. They are forced to go to either Nairobi Women’s Hospital or Kenyatta National Hospital for counselling,” says Njeri adding that Nairobi Women’s Hospital offers free counselling every last Saturday of the month.
Njeri calls on the Government to open its own rescue centres. This is supported by the Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill 2013 scheduled for third reading in Parliament, which calls on all county governments to establish rescue centres and safe houses for survivors and victims of gender based violence. The Peace Initiative Kenya Project of the International Rescue Committee and USAID which is being implemented by partners such as Coalition on Violence Against Women, African Woman and Child Features, Healthcare Assistance Kenya, Rural Women Peace Link and Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani is striving to lobby county governments for the establishment and maintenance of structures for social delivery such as GBV committees. “We only have children’s home and rehabilitation centres but we don’t have rescue centres,” says Njeri noting that failure to curb the trend may result to a dangerous generation.
She warns: “If the trend continues we may end up having bitter women, delivering bitter children and finally having a bitter generation.” For now Njeri has huge plans for the Mary Faith Children’s Centre. “My future plan is to buy land and build good structures where we can have our own primary school and tertiary training,” she concludes.
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PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Statistics on domestic violence indicate a worrying trend By Jane Godia
S
tatistics in relation to domestic violence as indicated by the Kenya Demographic Health Survey are startling and need to be addressed immediately. According to Kennedy Otina, Programme officer Men for Gender Equality Now at FEMNET, the statistics in relation to gender based violence are startling. “Gender based violence kills and disables many women aged 15-44, as cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined.” Statistics indicate that one in five Kenyan women experience some form of violence. Most of these women are aged between 15 and 44. Otina observes: “Gender based violence affects everybody starting with a slap to gouging out somebody’s eyes and hence can no longer be ignored.”
However, as Kenyans pray that the members of parliament will understand the need for protection of families against domestic violence, they must also realise that these statistics will not come down if the Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill is not passed. Survey
The Kenya Demographic Health Survey indicates that 45 per cent of women between 19-49 years have experienced sexual violence at one time in their life. The Kenya Demographic Health Survey also indicates that 48 per cent of women and men who have experienced sexual violence were most likely to be infected with HIV.
With violence not knowing class or status, Zebib Kavuma, Country Director UN Women notes that a research conducted among women members of Parliament indicated that out of 43 of the women MPs interviewed 84 per cent had experienced one form of gender based violence. According to Kavuma, many women tolerate and accept gender based violence. Consensus
Kenya has several acts that speak to gender equality and human rights, but there is still a lot to be done. “There is need to build momentum
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Mohamed Abudullahi 80, was beaten by a mob after he badly beat up his wife Mariam Kavava, 60, with a panga. He chopped off her arm and severely injured the other and her head as she prayed. Cases of domestic violence are on the rise with startling statistics.PHOTO: AWC CORRESPONDENT
and consensus on the fight against gender based violence especially at the domestic level and stop calling domestic violence a private matter,” says Kavuma. She poses: “Where is the protection? Where is the response towards domestic violence?” The rallying call is to create safer spaces for women and men, boys and girls to enable them unleash their potential.
Kavuma was speaking during a Momentum and Consensus Building Meeting held between members of the civil society organisations and Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights in Naivasha.
Speaking at the same meeting, Vijay Kumar, Country Director Action Aid, said emergency shelters or safer spaces can only work if protection mechanisms are put in place to protect survivors of gender based violence. Access
“Violence is a violation of human rights and there must be adequate access to justice within judicial systems for survivors of violence,” notes Kumar. Indeed it is only the Maputo Protocol, an international framework that guarantees comprehensive rights to women, that recognises sexual violence as an assault.
According to Joyce Majiwa, a lead consultant working on the Bill, protection forms the essence of the
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Bill because every family member needs to be protected against domestic violence. “Children cannot go to court but they can run to somebody who will take action on their behalf,” notes Majiwa.
Even as Kenyans are pushing for this Bill, several initiatives are already on the ground in trying to address sexual and gender based violence not only within the family spaces but in communities at large.
The Peace Initiative Kenya, a project of the International Rescue Committee, supported by USAID, aims at improving national and county-level gender-based violence (GBV) service delivery systems and policy implementation. Being implemented at the grassroots level, the project covers nine counties in the Coast, Nyanza and Rift Valley region: Taita Taveta, Kwale, Mombasa, Kisumu, Migori, Kisii, Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Trans Nzoia. The Project is being implemented in partnership with Coalition on Violence against Women (COVAW), Rural Women’s Peace Link (RWPL), Sauti Ya Wanawake Pwani, Healthcare Assistance Kenya (HAK) and African Woman and Child Feature Service (AWC). Strategy
The Peace Initiative Kenya strategy is to support and lobby county governments for the establishment
and maintenance of structures for social service delivery such as gender based violence service committees and directing specific financial resources towards GBV prevention.
The Project targets women and men as partners in GBV prevention, and stakeholders in leadership positions as change agents in the fight against GBV. The work of Peace Initiative Kenya, supported by the law, will help address the overwhelming statistics that have left women and men, girls and boys not only disabled, but so many have lost their lives, self-esteem and even livelihood. Objective
The Bill seeks to give protection and rehabilitation to offender. It will also strengthen reconciliation between offenders and families. Speaking in Parliament John Muriithi Waiganjo, MP for Ol-Jorok noted: “What the members of the public need to know is that if they know of a neighbour who abuses his children, or of a neighbour who barters his wife or vice-versa, they can take responsibility because this Bill gives them a locus standi.” Milly Odhiambo, Member of Parliament for Mbita noted: “I was once the chairperson of the Coalition on Violence Against Women. I was also the founder of The Cradle — The Children’s Foundation. For many years, I dealt with a lot of cases of domestic violence. “
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
training, Omanga teamed up with nine other paralegal volunteers from Nyando sub-county of Kisumu County and formed a support group dubbed ‘Nyabende Support Programmes’.
Caren Omanga:
Community paralegal activates first line of response to gender based violence
The support group provides free paralegal services to GBV survivors that include legal advice and representation in courts through probono lawyers, witness collection as well as psychosocial support.
By Valine Moraa
W
hen Mary* (not real name) made loud cries for help, neighbours rushed towards her home to find out what was happening. Upon arrival they heard scuffles that came from inside the house, an indication that Mary was being physically assaulted by her husband behind the closed door.
In January 2014, the support group was able to set up a small ironsheet structure in Ahero town that they use as office.
“We receive about three cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in a day,” says Omanga. She explains: “About 60 cases that we have received between January and September 2014 have been presented at the Nyando Law Courts.” Ten of these cases have gone through the court process and received judgment, 32 are pending in court awaiting hearing and judgment, while the remaining cases were withdrawn from court and resolved using other alternative dispute resolution methods.
The neighbours pleaded with Mary’s husband to stop beating her and open the door. He was not willing and it took quite some time before he eventually opened the door. He attempted to flee from the crowd that was already running out of patience.
He was immediately intercepted by some of the neighbours while others went inside the house only to find Mary lying unconscious on the floor. She was bleeding from her head, neck and hand as a result of the injuries he had inflicted on her. She was immediately rushed to hospital. Among those at Mary’s house was Caren Omanga, a community paralegal volunteer who is also a community activist working with the Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW), an implementing partner in the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) Project of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and USAID. Omanga mobilised other people and they immediately took Mary to hospital. With knowledge and skills acquired from PIK Paralegal Training held in July 2013, she offered probono psychosocial and legal support to Mary. She took her through all the processes required for medical and legal services including ensuring that her P3 form was appropriately filled.
Given that often community members from Mary’s village are hesitant to be witnesses in court for fear of backlash, Omanga managed to convince two neighbours who had
Capacity
The PIK Project has continued to work with and build capacity of paralegal volunteers in Kisumu, Kisii and Migori counties. These are three of the nine counties where the PIK Project is being implemented. The others are Mombasa, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Nandi, Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu.
Caren Omanga and ‘Mary’ as they expose one of the scars inflicted as a result of domestic abuse . PHOTO: valine moraa
helped Mary to record statements at the police station and present themselves in court as witnesses. Arrest
Mary’s husband was arrested and detained at the Ahero Police Station. He was later charged with assault and battery resulting in grievous bodily harm. The matter was heard in court with all witnesses giving evidence, through the support and follow-up by Omanga. The court ruled that Mary’s husband be remanded at the Kodiaga Maximum Prison as he waits final judgment in December 2014. The community remains optimistic that Mary will get justice.
According to Omanga, the paralegal training through the PIK Project provided her with a good base that has helped her successfully support many survivors of gender based violence (GBV).
“Before the training, pushing such a case until justice is delivered was difficult. However, through the PIK Project Paralegal Training I learned how to network with the community and fellow GBV paralegals,” explains Omanga. She notes: “During the training, COVAW provided us with a reporting tool which has helped in collecting and recording key information about our clients that is useful during court proceedings.” Realising the importance of this
The PIK projects strives to strengthen county engagement in preventing and responding to GBV as well as increase access and utilization of GBV services through community outreach and other awareness raising efforts.
Through this engagement, the volunteers have become agents of change at the grassroots level providing free legal and psychosocial services to GBV survivors.
They have also been taking part in GBV community outreach and awareness raising efforts. This has facilitated access to justice and other services to GBV survivors who would otherwise have given up on their cases.
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PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Fanis Lisiagali: PIK project partner scoops
Lisiagali explains that more people have been able to access the helpline after the launch of a J-Card which is being distributed across the country. Photo: AWC Correspondent
By Faith Muiruri
W
hen Fanis Lisiagali started the emergency hotline 1195, it was not exactly a prescribed path to glory. As a matter of fact, Lisiagali had not anticipated that the noble initiative would attract any awards or accolades. However, she has just received a coveted award for her efforts and commitment towards creating a rapid response system for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Lisiagali is this year’s runner-up United Nations person of the Year after Her Excellency Margaret Kenyatta, the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya was declared the winner for her Beyond Zero Campaign and efforts towards reducing maternal deaths. Lisiagali has earned recognition for her continued and relentless work in GBV that culminated with the establishment of hotline 1195 in 2008.
of violence in the country. Other partners include International Rescue Committee (IRC), African Woman and Child Feature Service (AWCFS), Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW), Rural women Peace Link and Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani. The project is being implemented in Kisumu, Migori, Kisii, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Mombasa, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia and Nandi.
Under the PIK project, HAK seeks to protect women and girls against Sexual and Gender Based Violence such as rape, defilement, female genital mutilation (FGM) and physical assault. HAK also links survivors of violence with other service providers to ensure increased access to treatment and prevention infections such as HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
“I feel so honoured and delighted and wish to commend our partners who have made sure that our rapid response system becomes more efficient and sustainable,” says Lisiagali, Executive Director of Healthcare Assistance Kenya (HAK).
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HAK is also credited for peace campaigns against violence across the country and equipping community members with knowledge on GBV life skills to aid in behavioural change. According to Lisiagali, the formation of the hotline was inspired by the plight of hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were languishing in camps at the height of the 2007-2008 post-election skirmishes with no one to turn to. Volunteer
Fanis Lisiagali (left) takes part in a prossess year-old girl who was defiled and left for dea 2013 Photo : AWC Correspondent
“I volunteered my services through the Kenya Red Cross, went to all camps across the country and interacted with IDPs who shared horrible stories,” Lisiagali explains. She adds: “Men would tell me how their wives were sexually abused by assailants who included individuals entrusted with their safety.” She was also told that men were also sexually abused as their wives and children watched.
“I was moved by the testimony of a helpless woman and her three daughters who said that they were gang raped at the height of the skirmishes but there was no one to answer to her distress call,” says Lisiagali. Testimonies
Mission
is an Peace whose forms
Other PIK partners support the helpline services through publicity and beefing up the contacts of service providers from around the counties.
But this was not all. “The situation was further aggravated by the fact that they could not trace anyone for assistance, they could not call to say where they were and what was happening,” Lisiagali recalls. “Police were overwhelmed and their hot lines jammed as chaos spread everywhere.”
The toll free line provides interactive information and counselling services to GBV survivors across the country on available response services.
Healthcare Assistance Kenya implementing partner of the Initiative Kenya (PIK) project mission is to eradicate all
HAK runs the national toll free GBV Helpline (1195) that provides tele-counselling services, guidance and referral services on the appropriate course of action to survivors of GBV.
Fanis Lisiagali receiving her award Photo : AWC Correspondent
According to Lisiagali, all these testimonies played a key role in shaping the idea to establish a help line.
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
s UN person of the year runner-up award of government, civil society and UN agencies.
“They all worked tirelessly to formally launch the helpline and referral mechanism,” Lisiagali points out. She says: “Safaricom helped us to set up the toll free line 1195 and the service has been flowing very well up to date.”
She notes: “Survivors have been able to access right services promptly”. According to Lisiagali, “when survivors call, they are briefly counselled before they are referred to other service providers”.
“We have been able to create enormous partnerships with other people including the Ministry of Devolution and Planning, the USAID, International Rescue Committee (IRC) through the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project who have made access to the service possible.” Achievements
sion that called for justice for a sixteenath in the Western region of Kenya in June
“With support from other volunteers, the hotline was established as a national response mechanism where all gender based violence cases across the country could be channelled,” expounds Lisiagali. She notes: “We also made sure that survivors could be linked to other service providers to ease access to services without being intimidated.” To expand the initiative, other players were roped in which saw the formation of the Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Emergency Preparedness Network comprising
Lisiagali cites the acquisition of the rapid response call centre and the hotline among her notable achievements.
“Last year alone, we supported a total of 8,115 survivors, which means that affected men and women are now able to break the silence and talk about GBV issues through the helpline,” she notes.
She says that Healthcare Assistance Kenya (HAK) is working towards the prevention of GBV and has developed a J-Card, also known as Jikinge Card which has been distributed across the country to enable more Kenyans access the service. “If you have this card, you can report GBV cases anytime and help bring perpetrators to book,” reiterates Lisiagali. She says the J-Card which was
introduced in 2010 has registered enormous success with targeted groups who include women being able to break the silence on a subject that largely remains veiled in secrecy.
“When people call 1195, they directly access a tele-counsellor who responds to all their concerns and feeds all the details into a data base, then very quickly refers them to other service providers,” she says.
“The system has worked very well especially for survivors of sexual violence, because we are able to connect them with hospitals where medication is administered to protect them from contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases,” Lisiagali intimates. Prior to the establishment of the toll free line, Lisiagali would use her mobile phone to link victims to service providers.
“I kept saying that if you do not have airtime, just send a text message with the words emergency gender violence and in this way we were able to rescue many people,” she says. Lisiagali adds: “We were able to link those who called with our partners like the Kenya Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), police, and government hospitals across the country.” Says Lisiagali: “I used all available channels including going to media houses to circulate available response services.”
Some of the most memorable moments in her line of work include an incident when she rescued two children aged three years old who had were being defiled by their father and a neighbour in Banana area of Kiambu County.
“I went to Ghetto Radio Station and assured the residents that action will be taken against the culprit. I
later led a team that stormed into their homestead to rescue the minors. We took them to Nairobi Women’s Hospital where they were treated.” Challenges
Lisiagali says that the absence of safe houses is a major challenge in her work. She observes that this has led to recurrence of violence as survivors are forced to go back to their homes even when assailants are still at large. “Problems are likely to recur when women have to go back to the same homes where their children were defiled by their own relatives,” she says.
Lisiagali notes that although the hotline has a national reach, more calls have been registered from counties where the service has been publicized.
According to Lisiagali, currently Nairobi is leading in the number of GBV cases reported through the hotline followed by Kakamega, Kisumu and Vihiga counties. Other counties that are reporting in large numbers include Mombasa through Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Kisii and Migori. “We did a lot of work in Vihiga and Kisumu through GIZ and created a lot of publicity in schools,” Lisiagali says.
She expresses dismay in the way cases of Sexual Gender Based Violence have been handled and cites examples where suspects of defilement are released barely two weeks after committing the offence yet there is evidence.
According to Lisiagali, the current laws have served to deny justice to survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence. She hopes that the proposed Protection Against Domestic Violence law will be passed to help reverse the current trend.
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PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Long road walked to end domestic violence domestic violence and provide support for affected persons and rehabilitation of the offenders. Mwatha says it was also noted that there was a high presence of domestic violence cases in hospitals but no statistics were available. Justification for the Protection Against Domestic Violence law is the need to shift from the criminal code and treat domestic violence differently from criminal activities because domestic violence is a different environment about the family.
A ray of hope as the Protection Against Domestic Violence bill comes in handy to address the longstanding impasse towards ending Gender Based Violence. PHOTO: Internet
By Jane Godia
T
he road to ending violence against women and girls in the family and within the community has been going on for a very long time. According to Zebib Kavuma, UN Women Country Director in Kenya, although the campaign to end violence against women and girls has been going on for decades, progress remains minimal. She asks: “Why is it that a woman cannot feel safe in her own home? Why is it that 40 per cent of homicides are attributed to violence? Why is it that we do not have laws to protect against domestic violence?”
According to Dr Regina Mwatha, Vice Chair Commission on the Administrative of Justice, issues of domestic violence have received unprecedented attention in Kenya in the last 50 years. The intention to have a legal framework to protect family members has been going on since 1966 when a Commission on the Law of Marriage and Divorce was set up. One of the matters considered by the Commission was wife beating, a common form of domestic violence.
“The Commission subsequently recommended criminalization of wife
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battery,” explains Mwatha.
“However, this was rejected because Parliament at the time said wife beating was an inherent traditional right for African men and also a matter of private domain that did not require state intervention.” As a result of this, international treaties such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) could not apply directly even though Kenya had ratified it.
Speaking at a meeting on Building Momentum and Consensus for the Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill, Mwatha notes that the recommendations of the Commission were not taken into consideration “leaving domestic violence uncovered by the law with the Penal Code being the only recourse inspite of its inadequacies.” Stalemate
The second attempt to legislate on the Bill was in 2000 and this was presented by the then Attorney General Amos Wako as developed by a Task Force on laws relating to women and was named Domestic Violence (Family Protection) Bill in 1999.
“The Bill sought to provide for a comprehensive framework and protection against domestic violence, including court intervention,” explains
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Mwatha. She adds: “It also broadened the scope of domestic violence by providing for a definition to include physical, sexual and psychological abuse.”
The Bill further provided for compensation for victims of abuse. However, efforts to move a Domestic Violence (Family Protection) Bill of 1999 were made but it lapsed before it was enacted. In 2009-2010, the Kenya Law Reform Commission partnered with the National Gender and Development Commission, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development and parliament through the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association to have the Bill passed. During this time, there were three Bills which included the Marriage Bill (now an Act), Matrimonial Properties Bill (now an Act) and the Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill, all three known as gender bills. According to Mwatha, meetings with the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Matters changed the bills to be known as the Family Bills.
During this third attempt, consultations were done at various stages including with leaders of religious institutions. The justification posted for this was the lack of legal framework to stem
“The justification sought a law that would ensure children do not grow up in homes where they see and hear conflict,” says Mwatha. She adds: “The justification was to ensure children are protected from domestic violence and parents protected from violence from their children.” Platform
The idea was to have a law that would provide institutions (churches,mosques and administrative government offices) with platforms where families under domestic violence can find recourse including counselling instead of running to courts.
“The justification was also to have a law where the police would not send back someone reporting violence — man or woman — saying it is a domestic matter,” explains Mwatha. Looking at the aforementioned and the journey walked so far, Kenyans are only hopeful that members of parliament will pass this bill, this time around to protect the family. It must be noted that domestic violence is not about women, it is about everybody.
“The Protection Against Domestic Violence Bill 2013 is a proposed law that will protect both men and women and it must be debunked from women because domestic violence also affects men and boys,” says Abdillahi Diriye, Wajir South Member of Parliament.
The Bill, when passed and enacted, will protect everybody within the family and will not discriminate against the perpetrator. It will also be supported by the Gender Based Violence Policy which is being developed by Gender Directorate at the Ministry of Devolution and Planning.
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
of the 13 villages in Kibera. Those involved included Lindi, Kianda, Makina, Laini Saba, Kisumu Ndogo, Mashimoni, Gatwekera and Soweto Wes. This was a strategic move aimed at audiences as every village had different forms of GBV being perpetuated by different genders and age groups.
Ultimately it was hoped that over 240 community leaders would be reached to increase the level of awareness and knowledge on the chain of GBV service delivery.
After each screening, the audience are able to discuss pertinent issues raised in the film.
It is this kind of dialogue that the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) Project is advocating for in the nine counties of Mombasa, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Kisumu, Migori, Kisii, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu and Nandi.
Sita Kimya, messages have been posted in almost all structures in Kibera slums. Sita Kimya, translating to ‘I will not be quiet’, is an awareness campaign that targets to end sexual and gender based violence. PHOTO: henry owino
The PIK Project strives to strengthen county engagement in preventing and responding to GBV as well as to increase access and utilization of GBV services through community outreach and other awareness raising efforts including dialogue.
Entertainment used to identify champions in the fight against GBV By Ruth Omukhango
T
iny business premises have become dominant features along Kibera’s Olympic Road. But in the midst of these structures is a youth recreation centre popularly known as Ghetto Light. The centre is associated with jobless youth in the area. Video shows are a typical feature in the slums where residents pay a small fee to watch their favourite programmes. However, on this particular afternoon, about 30 community leaders are seated in the dark room watching a serious film.
The objective of the film is to raise debate on issues that impact lives of those who live in Kianda, Olympic and Soweto with regards to gender based violence.
Popularly known as Sita Kimya, translating to ‘I will not be quiet’, the film is an awareness campaign that targets to end sexual and gender based violence. The awareness campaign is jointly conducted by Kibera Community Youth Programme and the Centre
for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW).
Produced in 2010 by Film Aid in Kibera, Nairobi’s largest slum, Sita Kimya has a cast and crew made up entirely of local residents. The actors cut across all ages ranging from youth to adults, providing space for all ages to be able to relate to the film. Campaign
According to Noreen Adhiambo, a Programme Officer at CREAW, Sita Kimya film was launched during the commemoration of 16 Days of Activism Against GBV in 2010.
“This was a strategic move to address issues that affect the community,” says Adhiambo. She adds: “This was also a move to ensure that there is increased reporting of GBV cases to enable people get help.” Besides sensitising the community on issues of gender based violence, it was hoped that an increased number of community leaders will be empowered to become champions of eradicating gender based violence. “While most organisations are used to conducting workshops and
In most communities, just as those that reside in Kibera, most perpetrators of violence are known but people fear exposing them due to threats and blackmail.
open forums to discuss issues that affect the community, the film is an innovative way of educating the public by engaging,” explains Adhiambo.
According to Vincent Sizzla, the concept was crafted to capture Kibera residents who purely rely on television as a form of entertainment. This then made it important to combine entertainment and passing of knowledge through the Sita Kimya campaign. The approach worked well and today the graffiti of Sita Kimya dots many villages in the sprawling slum. Approach
The one and a half hour film uses dramatic narrative to unpack GBV issues. It explores various forms of violence as well as what communities and individuals are able to do to prevent it.
Some of the issues discussed include details of the Sexual Offences Act. It also provides basic knowledge of where people can report to expose perpetrators of sexual violence. According to Sizzla, a facilitator of Sita Kimya, the film targeted eight
“Ever since we started screening this film, we have received many cases of gender based violence from friends and community leaders,” explains Sizzla, adding “this is an indication that something is happening”. Culture
Since cultural issues escalate gender based violence in the urban slums, the film also seeks to demystify myths and misconceptions around gender based violence among youth and adults. The PIK Project, just like Sita Kimya targets women and men as partners in GBV prevention, and stakeholders in leadership positions as change agents in the fight against GBV.
According to Elizabeth Okello, a participant during the screening of the film, many times victims know the perpetrators but are afraid of exposing them for fear of being beaten.
Sizzla reiterates the need to come up with a series of themes that need to be addressed through acting. However, he notes, this remains a challenge due to lack of resources. Some of the key themes that could be addressed include wife battering, incest, sodomy and insecurity.
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PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
According to Peace Initiative Kenya Project, part of the explanations offered for this situation is that the police lack adequate resources and expertise to undertake better investigations. The PIK Project notes that the police play a critical role in ensuring justice for victims and survivors of gender based violence.
It notes that experience has shown that structured units within the police service attract budget lines and infrastructure that makes them very effective in fighting crime and responding to the needs for which such a unit is set up.
Why it is important to have a Gender Crimes Unit By Joseph Mukubwa
A
section of Nyeri women have strongly criticised the recently launched gender based violence desk saying it will instead fuel domestic violence. Speaking in Nyeri town, the women poured cold water into the initiative which was started by Nyeri County Women Representative Priscilla Nyokabi. They said Nyokabi should have instead addressed the root cause of the problems that have led to increased cases of gender violence instead of opening the desk at Nyeri Central Police Station.
“These issues can be solved at home level by clan elders. Reporting them at a police station will lead to more separations and divorce, leaving children without parents,” said Mary Wamuyu.
Teresa Nyawira from Kamakwa said such an initiative will be used
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against women from Nyeri County who have already been branded husband batterers. Challenges
Rahab Mukami, a politician from the county noted that domestic violence can only be solved by members of the clergy, clan elders and provincial administration. “Many victims of gender based violence will fear to report such cases as police are often intimidating. They should first exhaust avenues at village level before reporting to police,” said Mukami. However, Lilian Muchiri blamed illicit brews and lack of employment to increased cases of domestic violence in Nyeri County.
Recently, Nyokabi helped launch the gender desk at Nyeri Central Police Station with the intention that it will curb increased cases of gender based violence in the County. She noted that every police station in the County will have such desks.
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Priscilla Nyokabi, Nyeri County Women Representative with police officers during the ground breaking ceremony for creation of gender desks at Nyeri Central Police station. PHOTO: joseph mukubwa
The desk was meant to ensure that police not only help in prosecution of perpetrators but also offer psychosocial support to survivors and perpetrators of Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
However even as the people of Nyeri protest the establishment of a gender desk, data from the Gender Violence Recovery Centre (GVRC) shows that 45 per cent of women between ages 15-49 in Kenya have experienced either physical or sexual violence, with women and girls accounting for 90 per cent of the reported gender based violence cases. Statistics While these are very disturbing statistics, the response to gender based violence by the police has not addressed various gender crimes with the seriousness they deserve.
This is according to Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) Project that is campaigning to have the Kenya Police Service establish a Gender Crimes Unit. Peace Initiative Kenya notes that many perpetrators of violence have gone scot free either because the police did not apprehend them or presented weak evidence in court.
According to the mission and vision of the Peace Initiative Kenya, gender based violence can only end if men and women work together to prevent it. The Project calls for the establishment and maintenance of structures for social service delivery and directing specific financial resources towards GBV prevention and service provision. Petition
The Peace Initiative Kenya Project, which brings together International Rescue Committee (IRC), African Woman and Child Feature Service, Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani, Rural Women Peace Link and Healthcare Assistance Kenya, have launched the petition calling on the government to establish a Gender Crimes Unit that will help in handling gender crimes including sexual and domestic violence. They note that already there are certain specific units within the police service such as the Banking Fraud Unit, Anti-Stock Theft Unit as well as the Flying Squad Unit which are all effective because they have been given specific budget lines. This is why they are calling upon Kenyans to sign a petition calling for the establishment of a Gender Crimes Unit (GCU) within the Kenya Police Service. The online petition can be found on www.awcfs.org.
The establishment of this Unit, it is noted, will go a long way in ensuring that not only are resources allocated to pursue perpetrators of violence, but credible investigations are carried out and justice for survivors of gender based violence is guaranteed. According to the Peace Initiative Kenya Project, presence of GBV working groups at national and county levels are important and will provide legal as well as psychosocial counselling to survivors. These efforts will complement the work of the Gender Crimes Unit.
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Defence skills vital in prevention of rape has also incorporated young girls who have dropped out of school as they are more vulnerable to sexual attacks.
By Faith Muiruri
W
omen need help now, is an affirmation that aptly captures the voices of thousands of victims of gender based violence who have either experienced rape and gender crimes in their lifetime. Statistics on gender based violence in Kenya paint a grim picture with studies indicating that one in every six women aged between 15 and 70 years respectively has experienced physical and sexual violence in their lives.
Worse still is the fact that the level of violence against women is on the upward trend. Studies further reveal that three out of 10 women in Kenya admit that they have been physically and sexually abused by their spouses and sexual partners with women in Nairobi being listed as more prone to rape and murder by their husbands and intimate partners.
It is against this backdrop that the No Means No Worldwide (NMNW) organisation has undertaken to train women and children on effective rape prevention strategies in schools, churches, youth groups and other community venues free of charge. According to Evelyne Odhiambo, a programme officer with the organization, the initiative mainly
Impact
She says the programme has borne remarkable fruit with a recent research by the organization pointing to drastic drop in rape cases by a significant margin of 65 percent. “Over half the girls reported they had used their self-defence skills to prevent being raped. It is very encouraging to see that such a simple low cost intervention had tremendously reduced the incidence of rape in the area,” Odhiambo explains. Protesters take to the streets to demand action against those behind attacks on women wearing miniskirts or other clothing perceived to be immodest.PHOTO: awc correspondent
targets slum areas as women living in informal settlements are highly susceptible to regular and in some cases extreme forms of sexual violence and deaths. Studies
According to Odhiambo, studies indicate that self-defence techniques can increase a woman’s ability to prevail in an assault by up to 85 percent.
The initiative mainly targets schools in slum areas and is currently being implemented in learning facilities in Korogocho, Huruma, Kibera, Mukuru, Dandora and Mathare.
“Each slum has a team of about six to 10 self-defence trainers. The trainers work closely with teachers and administrators in both primary and secondary schools in the area to equip students with physical fighting skills,” she explains during an interview with Tusemezane Magazine. The programme officer says that the initiative was borne out of the need to equip young girls with defence skills after a baseline survey conducted by the organization revealed that 25 percent of secondary school girls in the area were being raped every year.
The program officer says that most girls reported using the verbal skill which entails screaming for help or yelling no to wade off the assailant. She says that the organization is also the force behind the training of the famous Fighting Grannies of Korogocho which was mooted to counter the high rates at which grannies were raped and dumped along sewer lines. The organisation has also launched a Sexual Support Survivors Anonymous (SASA) programme which mainly targets survivors of sexual assault or attempted assault and provides them with support during the healing and recovery process.
Odhiambo says that the initiative
Elderly woman cries for justice as neighbour attacks her By Joyline Apondi
A
70 year grandmother in Nyamira village of Bondo Constituency is now living in fear and agony after she was tortured and beaten senseless by her neighbours. Mama Rose Omolo Sibondo now wants the Government to come to her rescue before they kill her. She says that the neighbours have repeatedly assaulted her but the few attempts to get redress have not borne any fruit.
The elderly woman says that neighbours have invaded her farm and stealing her property but anytime she complains they beat her up and threaten to throw her out of the homestead. “I have been beaten mercilessly on
several occasions for stopping them from illegally grazing in my farm,” says Mama Sibondo. Mama Sibondo has on several occasions tried to find justice from the relevant authorities but in vain. She cites a recent case in which all her crops were destroyed. “I reported the matter at the Bondo Police Station and the agriculture officers, who then came to my farm and evaluated the loss incurred. However, since then no action has been taken,” Mama Sibondo says adding that she was subjected to ruthless beating when she returned home after reporting. “They attacked me that evening and told me that police can never take action against them because I am just a fool,” she says. Abandoned
She further reveals that she has
been living alone for years now after her husband married a second wife and neglected her while her two sons disappeared from home.
“My husband has never bothered to come to my rescue. I have told him that my neighbours have become my tormentors but my plea has fallen on deaf ears,” laments the elderly woman.
She adds that her two sons who are supposed to be her shield disappeared to the neighbouring County of Kisumu and the only time they come home is when there is a funeral. The Bondo sub-County Crops officer Denis Omedo Achieng confirmed that Mama Sibondo has consistently approached his office complaining about the destruction of her crops by animals and indeed upon visiting her farm the same was
established. He notes that they have already played their first role and now it’s upon the police officers to take the case to court and bring the perpetrators to book.
“My officers went to assess extent of the damage and established that all her crops were destroyed, they took photos which can serve as evidence before the court,” says Achieng.
Bondo OCPD Paul Kiarie says he convened a public “Baraza” at the scene where the crops of Mama Sibondo were destroyed and warned those involved against committing a felony that he would drag them into the court of law.
Kiarie says that since the suspects have committed the same crime again, he will personally go for their arrest.
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PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Community mobilisation sought in war against GBV Kisumu’s Gender Recovery centre INSET: Fredrick Nyagah, MenKen National Coordinator which plans to spend over KSh20 million in mobilising over two million people in Western Kenya region in the fight against gender based violence.
By Valentine Atieno
G
ender based violence has become an issue of concern not only globally but also nationally. Various initiatives have been put in place to complement in the fight against the vice that not only has health and economic implications but also leaves families disintegrated. One such initiative is the Peace Initiative Kenya project which works with county government leadership and relevant stakeholders to promote prevention of and response to gender based violence (GBV) in Kenya. However, stakeholders advocating against GBV have realised that if the vice is fought from all fronts then there will be almost zero rates of gender based violence.
Among them, is the MenEngage Kenya Network (MenKen) which intends to spend over KSh20 million in mobilising over two million people in Western Kenya region in the fight against gender based violence.
This intervention will support ongoing efforts by Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) Project in Kisii, Migori, Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Trans Nzoia as well as Mombasa, Kwale and Taita Taveta. The PIK Project targets men and women as partners in GBV prevention. MenKen National Coordinator Fredrick Nyagah says the initiative follows revelations that Western
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and Nyanza regions lead in cases of Gender Based Violence. Centre
Already a Gender Violence Recovery Centre (GVRC) has been opened in Kisumu where more than 500 survivors of gender based violence within western Kenya will benefit.
The one stop centre situated at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital ( JOOTRH) provides free medical, psycho-social and legal services to GBV survivors.
According to a baseline survey conducted by MenKen to understand the level of GBV and its manifestations, the most affected areas include Manyatta and Nyakach in Kisumu County as well as Mumias and Kakamega South in Kakamega County which are in Nyanza and Western provinces respectively. The organisation will work in these areas within the pilot programme. The survey findings indicate that violence against women was still rampant in the two counties and blamed this on silence among affected women. According to Nyagah community mobilisation in the key areas of study will be conducted to bring positive change. The survey indicates that several people have still not been reached with messages of awareness and accessing legal services remained a problem.
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“Women don’t come out to talk
about the violence they suffer because they fear community sanctions in the event action is taken against the offender,” Nyagah notes. Findings
The survey conducted by Promotive Health Consultant Dr John Oyore brought 736 respondents aged between 20-46 on board with 384 of them being male and 352 female. The survey indicates that out of 384 respondents 56 per cent of them admitted having friends who instigate violence against women. Twenty four per cent of the respondents admitted that they had slapped or thrown something at a woman once, while 21 per cent said they had done it repeatedly. It was also evident from the study that many people are ignorant on whether there are laws about violence against women in Kenya.
“When respondents were asked whether there are laws about violence against women, slightly over 55 per cent said they were aware while the rest did not know,” Nyagah said.
It was also revealed that four per cent of the men who were interviewed admitted to have had sex without the partner’s consent.
Nyagah said that the survey also established that most of the people were self-employed. The same study is being carried out in Rwanda and Sierra Leone.
Taita Taveta registers increased GBV cases By Benson Mwanga
G
ender based violence affects men and women, yet women and girls are disproportionately affected with GBV. The Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2008-2009 notes that in recent years, there has been increasing concern about violence against women in general, and about domestic violence in particular, in both developed and developing countries. Not only has domestic violence against women been acknowledged worldwide as a violation of the basic human rights of women, an increasing amount of research highlights the health burdens, generational effects, and demographic consequences of such violence.
In some counties in Kenya statistics are relatively higher than others. One of the counties noted to have high levels of domestic violence is Taita-Taveta County. While women and girls in this county have previously borne the brunt of GBV, things are taking another shift with some women fighting back. One unique case is that of an assistant chief who surprised many people when she battered her drunken husband. An eye witness said the man came back home drunk and started harassing the administrator as usual. “The administrator turned on her husband and taught him a lesson,” said a primary school head teacher who witnessed the incident in Wundanyi Division, Taita Taveta County. Like with all other forms of GBV, many cases of wives beating their husbands go unreported owing to stigma associated with the practice, while others are resolved by village elders. “In fact men do not want such cases to go public for fear of the embarrassment,” added the teacher who declined not to be named.
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
their ability to deliver at the work place. The notorious officer was also accused of sexually harassing the wives of male warders. Two male warders complained that their wives were being stressed by the senior officer.
“We cannot work in such an environment where some of our colleagues and wives are subjected to such treatment. We want the Government to take action against the officer who is known for his randy behaviour,” said the officers.
“Our mode of operation requires that we obey orders and it is difficult for us to be openly defiant, something the officer has taken advantage of,” said another prison warder. The affected officers claimed that there is serious discontent at the penal institution adding that the actions of the officer were against the Prisons Code of Conduct.
Prison warders at a passing out parade. Female officers have complained of sexual harassment by a senior prisons officer who has been demanding sexual favours from them. Photo awc correspondent
Investigations
However, while on a visit to Taita Taveta County, Prisons Commissioner General Isaiah Osugo said the Kenya Prisons Service will not compromise standards and reiterated that his office will investigate the allegations.
Sexual harassment in Taveta leaves officers emotionally frustrated By Benson Mwanga
W
hile gender based violence at family level is shrouded in secrecy and treated as taboo subject, violence in the work place is no different. Men and women continue to suffer psychological, emotional and sexual violence without recourse. Many are not able to speak out because there are no social structures that have been established to help address sexual harassment in the work place. However, the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK), a project under International Rescue Committee and working with five other implementing partners is striving to ensure that county governments establish and maintain structures for social delivery such as Gender Based Violence (GBV) service committee.
Through such establishments, those who fear reporting sexual violence at the work place will be able to get recourse. Taita Taveta County is among the nine
counties where PIK is implementing its activities. In this county, female prison warders have complained of sexual harassment by a senior prisons officer who has been demanding sexual favours from them. The female warders at the Wundanyi GK Prisons recently protested against the senior prison officer and demanded that action be taken against him. Disparity
The prison facility has 104 male and 32 female officers.
The warders, some of who are married, claimed those who have resisted the officer’s sexual advances are intimidated with sacking and transfer letters.
The warders said those who yielded to the sexual demands, enjoyed preferential treatment at the workplace. “Those who sleep with the amorous officer are given light duties and lucrative assignments to reciprocate the sexual favours,” said
“I had sent a senior officer to investigate the matter. Investigations are almost complete and action will be taken against the officer if found to have committed the offence,” Osugo said.
one of the prison officers who sought anonymity. Rift
The complainants claimed the officer had been pestering them on several occasions adding that this has caused a rift with other senior officers who are not happy with the behaviour.
“Some cases are quite embarrassing as the officer makes sexual advances even while we are guarding prisoners,” claimed one warder. “I told the officer that I am married but that did not deter him. I have even informed my husband of the incident but he is unable to confront him for fear of victimization,” complained another warder.
Sexual harassment can be described as imposing unwanted sexual demands to a person, whether physical or verbal, against his or her will. Performance
In Taita Taveta County, the prison officers noted that the officer’s behaviour was adversely affecting
A report on the investigation is being compiled by his office.
“If the report implicates the officer, then action will be taken against him,” warned Osugo, adding that the police were also carrying out investigations into the incident. “If there is any evidence of crime, police will act according to the law. I will not tolerate any officer found to have been going against the Prisons Code of conduct,” said Osugo. The PIK Project is working closely with other government bodies such as the National Gender and Equality Commission, Directorate of Gender under the Ministry of Devolution and Planning among other stakeholders to support government in creating an enabling environment for coordination of GBV prevention and service provision. Some of the PIK Project activities include training county government officials and stakeholders on GBV, engagement in GBV working groups at national and county levels and provision of legal and psychosocial counselling to survivors of GBV.
| october 2014 | VOLUME 4
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PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Elderly women targeted for witch hunt killings in Kisii County By Ben Oroko
Policy brief
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A policy brief prepared by International Rescue Committee and USAID for the Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) project National Summit on GBV held in August 2013, noted that gender based violence is the silent crisis of our time often perpetuated in secrecy and under the cover of societal norms and values.
idow disinheritance and witch hunting have been used to deprive elderly women and widows of their land and property rights in Kisii County. According to Martha Moraa, a widow in her late 70s, most elderly women are targeted for killings to disinherit them as in-laws still view them as outsiders without land and property rights.
“If you look at those who are being accused of witchcraft, they are elderly women who are over 70 years, raising the questions why their accusers only label them witches immediately after their husbands passed on and when the women are in their twilight years,” wonders Moraa. She blames the abhorrent practice on the emotive issue of land where elderly women are victims of circumstances, with their accusers framing them in witchcraft to justify lynching or witch-hunting.
“The rising cases of arbitrary killings can be linked to the longheld perception, especially among the youth in Kisii region who are born and brought up knowing any aged and wrinkled man or woman is naturally a witch and qualifies for burning or lynching,” says Moraa.
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The brief indicates that whenever one is suspected of being a witch, they are hunted down and lynched or burnt. Their houses and property are also set ablaze by their accusers. Just early this year, seven women labelled as witches were burnt to death near Nyamaiya town in Gucha South sub-County in Kisii County. In February, two elderly women aged 66 and 71 were set ablaze on allegations of bewitching a 14 year old boy. The two were dragged from their homes and set ablaze by irate members of public after the 14-yearold boy claimed that the two picked him at night and walked with him throughout the night. One woman died at the scene near her home. The other woman sustained injuries and was taken to Kisii Level Five Hospital where she died. Disinheritance
According to Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK) Project policy brief, women are disinherited of their property upon the
| october 2014 | VOLUME 4
On Fire: Elderly women in Kisii County become targets of killings to disinherit them of land and property rights. Assailants accuse them of practising witchcraft. PHOTO: BEN OROKO
death of their husbands and witchhunt assaults.
It is noted that witch hunts are almost always based on accusations without hard proof; which is why those who come to kill those suspected of practicing witchcraft avoid legal route of doing things as they know it would not accommodate their accusations.
Kisii County deputy Commissioner, Philip Soi blames majority of the cases reported in the County on lynching and burning of people suspected to be witches on land disputes. Soi warns members of the public against taking the law into their hands and lynching or burning people on assumption that they are witches. “They should instead report them to the law enforcement machinery on
the ground for prosecution,” he urges.
Soi reminds members of the public that no individual or group of people has the authority to kill over witchcraft allegations.
“It is illegal for any person or group of individuals to take someone’s life under the pretext of eradicating witchcraft in the society. Human life is precious and the Government will deal firmly with offenders,” warns Soi. He wonders why perpetrators were only targeting elderly women who are over 70 years and widowed.
Soi points out that most of the women who had been lynched were embroiled in land ownership tussles and witchcraft was just a ploy to get them off their late husbands’ property and land.