Provide more helplines to ensure women’s safety
Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to ravage women’s and girls’ lives. This year’s strict lockdowns imposed to control the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic distress on families, has seen an increase in GBV, specifically domestic violence against women.
GBV is one of the worst forms of human rights abuse; from sexual assault, early or forced marriage and rape, to FGM and social media trolling, women and girls disproportionately face violence around the world.
The statistics are depressing. The Kenya Demographic Health Survey (2014) estimates that 45 per cent of women aged 15-49 have experienced violence.
The World Health Organization reports that an estimated one in every three women has experienced violence, rape, or other abuse in her lifetime.
And according to UN Women, violence against women causes more death and disability for women and girls between the ages of 15 and 44 than cancer, road accidents, malaria, and war combined.
Beyond direct harm to the individual, violence against women damages society and reverses economic, health, and security progress. It causes a chain reaction, contributing to the cycles of poverty, impacting on entire societies.
As we come to the end of the annual 16 Days of Activism against GBV campaign, we need to reflect on whether we have done enough, during the pandemic, to strengthen efforts to ensure women’s safety.
Kenya, through the Constitution and various policies, protects its citizens and recognises violence as a violation of human rights. Despite these interventions, there are still gaps in the law and policy frameworks.
With the pandemic, the need for survivor support has increased, yet justice proves difficult to attain. Critical services like hotlines, crisis centres, shelters, and legal aid have been scaled back.
The government should put women’s safety first by offering more emergency helplines and shelters.
Though the campaign is observed annually for 16 days, women are abused every day. Each one of us can take meaningful action to end the scourge.
