Homa Bay County steps up anti-GBV campaigns
What you need to know:
- A study has established that Homa Bay is among the counties struggling to contain defilement, teenage pregnancies, rape, physical violence, and domestic violence.
- Some people also suffer emotional and intimate partner violence.
The Homa Bay government has intensified the fight against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) after launching campaign guidelines.
In its SGBV policy, the county seeks to protect women, men, girls and boys from social, political, and economic forms of violence. The framework will also ventilate on the mechanisms of addressing these issues.
A study has established that Homa Bay is among the counties struggling to contain defilement, teenage pregnancies, rape, physical violence, and domestic violence. Some people also suffer emotional and intimate partner violence.
According to the National Crimes Research Centre (NCRC) 2020, statistics of some of the above challenges in Homa Bay are above the national average. Rape in the county is at 38.6 per cent, while the national average is 12.9 per cent. Domestic violence is at 16 per cent, against the national average of 9.2 per cent.
Multifaceted campaign
To lower the number of cases and protect survivors, the county partnered with different organisations to develop the policy that will help coordinate the myriad phases of SGBV war. The document was launched on Wednesday last week at an event attended by Ms Ida Odinga, Governor Gladys Wanga and Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga, among other leaders.
Also present were officials from non-governmental organisations that champion women’s and girl rights, including Population Services Kenya, which runs a programme called Binti Shupavu.
Ms Odinga expressed concern about cases of SGBV, especially numerous cases that go unreported. "Some of the cases are only known when survivors go to hospital. It is high time we end the vices that affect vulnerable groups in our society," she said.
Ms Odinga called for a traditional approach to parenting that allows any adult to discipline any child. She argued that children brought up in a community where everyone is disciplined grow up to become important people in society. She was commenting on data that the county has one of the largest populations of teenage mothers.
“All teenagers must be protected from any form of abuse. Every adult should take up the parental role of bringing up children," Ms Odinga said. “Women should be economically empowered through education to minimise risks of being beaten by their husbands."
The county seeks to develop and support all programmes and projects aimed at empowering SGBV survivors. Ms Wanga said SGBV not only violates human rights but also hampers productivity, reduces human capital and undermines economic growth. She said her government will support women and teenage girls against different forms of abuse.
Multiagency enforcement
Part of the initiative is to bring together a multi-sector team to address the problem. "It's not a matter for the parents or the government alone. The security sector must join the community and bring on board other government departments to address the problem," the governor said.
In some instances, perpetrators of SGBV walk free when survivors accept to solve the issues at home. Ms Wanga said this should change as law enforcement teams have been enlightened to act on such cases.
Nyanza and Western Women’s Forum (NWWF) Executive Director Elizabeth Adongo said the policy boosts the county’s capacity to engage with strategic partners, mobilise resources and give the overall direction stakeholders must follow to see full implementation of the framework.
NWWF founder Harriet Okatch said: “We are mobilising women from the grassroots to start chasing after bigger things socially and economically. Therefore, we are linking them with local and International partners like the UN Women and Africa Guarantee Fund to power their innovations.”
The policy envisages a long-term and sustained change in the management of SGBV cases. It calls for the inclusion of state and non-state actors in the implementation of laws and policies that strengthen SGBV prevention and management programmes in the county.
Gender Sector Working Group chairperson Zarah Hassan said the document will help make Homa Bay a county free from all forms of SGBV and uphold human rights and dignity for all. Despite the existence of policies and legislative frameworks, plans and programmes addressing SGBV, challenges still abound.
Hurdles include biased socio-cultural attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that perpetuate negative stereotypes, discrimination and gender inequality; ineffective law enforcement; limited resource allocation to SGBV interventions; and ignorance of existing SGBV laws and policies.
