Government launches three-year initiative to combat sexual and gender-based violence

George Kaiga-KNA

The Government has launched a three-year initiative that aims to reduce incidents of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), following increasing cases of femicide in the country.

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, says the ‘Safe Homes Safe Spaces’ Initiative is aimed at keeping SGBV survivors away from their alleged perpetrators.

He said the homes will serve to create a safer environment for all Kenyans, with special emphasis on women and children of Kenya.

Speaking Kakamega during the launch that is expected to be replicated in all the 47 counties, the PCS, who is also acting as CS for Interior as well as Culture and Gender, said the initiative aims to reduce incidents of sexual and gender-based violence through awareness creation, advocacy and media campaigns, support and target legal and institutional reforms.

Mudavadi said the country has a robust national legal and policy framework to prevent and combat sexual and gender-based violence, warning victims not to fall to tricks of negotiating such vices out of court.

Mudavadi said laws have gone beyond physical offences and now provide for SGBV offences committed online.

“The Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, 2018 was enacted to penalize perpetrators who use technology as a tool of violence” he said.

“Perpetrators of femicide cannot play victims, they must be held accountable for their acts and the criminal justice actors must execute their mandate without favor, this is not negotiable,” Mudavadi warned.

According to the PCS, the 2023 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey reveals that over 11 million women (20 per cent of the population) have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner during their lifetime.

“Of these, 2.8 million experienced this violence in the past 12 months,” he said adding, “Other statistics by the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness -Kenya Report of 2022 indicate that out of 3,762 cases of GBV reported, women accounted for 2,985 of these cases.

He observed that these figures represent reported cases only and that the actual number of GBV incidents is likely to be significantly higher due to underreporting, stigma, and fear of retaliation.

Mudavadi encouraged all victims of SGBV to report, citing the Victim Protection Act that provides for the use of witness protection boxes in court and concealment of identity of vulnerable witnesses such as children and victims of sexual violence and that a witness can be placed under the Witness Protection Agency if they are facing threats and intimidation.  

He commended all 47 counties have active GBV and FGM Working Groups which play a crucial role in coordinating comprehensive responses to gender-based violence within their respective counties.

Mudavadi said the inclusion of the bodaboda riders in awareness creation is key as community change agents, saying their influence can reach the local community level.

“These riders will be trained to serve as champions for safety, as advocates of gender equality, and also as first line responders in instances of GBV,” he added.

Mudavadi said the government is considering introducing a unit on gender parity in institutions of higher learning to ramp-up sensitization and education on the importance of equality between women and men, and to challenge gender stereotypes.

President’s advisor on Women’s, Harriet Chiggai, said the Safe Homes Safe Spaces campaign aims to transform society by instilling safety as a core value in every home and the community.

Chiggai, who is the convener of the campaign urged all sectors to collaborate in creating a Kenya that is free from femicide especially given that the country recorded 97 femicide cases in the last year alone.

She raised an alarm over rising cases of sodomy of young boys, noting that in Nairobi County alone, 1115 cases have been reported.