Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an ugly sore in the face of our country. It has taken many lives, not only of men and women, but those of innocent children as well, who have no fault of their own and have no stake in the violence.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an ugly sore in the face of our country. It has taken many lives, not only of men and women, but those of innocent children as well, who have no fault of their own and have no stake in the violence.
No single day passes without a case of GBV in the news. Mind you, not trivial cases, but ones that leave us with a mixture of shock, misery, and apprehension.
The cases are very many but sadly GBV is not getting as much attention as it deserves. Families are crying over losses, mourning their loved ones, falling into poverty spending money in hospitals to treat the wounded while others have sunk into depression because of the trail of destruction left by GBV.
Kenya has a stringent legislative and policy framework that criminalizes GBV and imposes heavy penalties on perpetrators. The country also has solid investigations, prosecutions, and judicial systems to handle even the most difficult of crimes.
What should worry us all is that despite all these laws and systems, cases of GBV rose at an alarming rate during the pandemic period.
Sadly, the wheels of justice have been turning too slow, delaying and denying justice for victims and survivors. Nothing scares the perpetrators. Not the laws and not the system.
That is why picking a machete and wiping away an entire family in cold blood is not a big deal. We have to interrogate the system right from when a victim goes to the police station to report a crime to when the court determines the case.
Whereas progress has been made to tighten the laws against GBV, establish structures such as the gender desks, PolyCare, and an emergency reporting system, the upsurge of cases is an indication that either these changes are insufficient or incommensurate to the weight of GBV crimes.
There is need for the Government, the offices of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Public Prosecutions (ODPP), and the Judiciary to clean up the system to ensure justice for victims is served without delays and perpetrators are held to account.
GBV has taken many lives, left dozens with lifetime psychological and physical dents, and continues to injure and claim more lives.
In view of this we wish to propose the following:
- We appeal to the Government of Kenya to fast-track the 12 commitments made before the ‘Generation Equality Forum’ to eradicate GBV by 2026. In this regard, the President pledged to invest Ksh. 2.3 billion by end of 2022 and another Ksh. 5 billion by 2026. Kenya has committed to eradicating systemic barriers that allow GBV to thrive while undertaking heightened campaigns against GBV and the establishment of safe houses for victims.
- The Chief Justice Martha Koome is on record that the Judiciary was considering establishing a specialized unit to handle GBV cases in the country but cited resource constraints as a hindrance. We urge the Judiciary and the government to hasten this process by allocating the necessary resources to pave way for the establishment of the special unit to clear the backlog of GBV cases and hasten the process of justice.
- An effective response to GBV should not be fragmented. It should come as a complete package with social support services and justice. We urge the duty bearers to ensure all GBV response centers are adequately equipped and manned by qualified personnel with knowledge and skills in handling victims of GBV.
- Victims of GBV fail to report cases due to fear of the police, bribes, and further victimization. We urge for the professionalization of these centers especially the gender desks and advise them to roll outreach activities and campaigns intended to win the public’s trust and reassurance to promote reporting of GBV crimes.
- We appeal to the government to adopt a comprehensive approach to incorporate prevention, proper handling of GBV crimes, and redress to ensure an effective response that deters and punishes perpetrators and gives justice to the victims.
Executive Director, Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK)