Relief at last! Vihiga SGBV office now fully equipped for use
UN Human Rights Commission Senior Human Rights Adviser Li Fung presents SGBV office donations to officers from Mbale police station on February 15, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Two years ago, a teenager walked into Mbale police station to report a defilement case.
- However, a few moments later, she changed her mind after suffering a discomfort due to a lack of privacy at the reporting desk.
Two years ago, Cindy Habwe* walked into Mbale police station to report a defilement case.
The 14-year-old was in the company of Jael Abukusa, a woman running one of the safe houses in Vihiga County.
However, a few moments after arriving at the station's reporting desk, Cindy changed her mind. She no longer wanted to tell of her ordeal.
Instead, she requested to be accompanied to the nearest health facility for checkup and medication. She then disappeared into thin air.
Privacy
According to Ms Abukusa, Cindy had remarked on her discomfort due to a lack of privacy at the reporting desk.
While the county had managed to set up a gender and children’s office at the police station with support from the national government, the facility had yet to start operating.
The four-room office located next to the station’s main entrance had remained vacant since its construction in 2021. It lacked necessary equipment.
Also read: Was the state really ready for Policare?
“A number of children and victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) always found it hard to open up whenever they visited the police station,” Ms Abukusa says.
Most SGBV survivors grapple with myriad challenges, including trekking, hence justice keeps eluding them.
The lack of safe spaces at the station has left many feeling embarrassed in their quest for justice.
“Women and young girls would walk into the police station hoping to find justice but later walk out without having their issues heard, let alone being addressed,” Ms Abukusa says.
Some survivors opted to drop their cases, allowing perpetrators to have a field day as they find themselves getting off scot-free.
Path to justice
Ms Maureen Odumba, who works at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Vihiga County, says reporting cases of violation is one of the main steps to accessing justice.
The officer says SGBV, including rape, defilement, murder and assault, forms a larger percentage of cases prosecuted in courts.
“SGBV comes with a lot of shame and fear, and you can imagine if you are with every other person at the reporting desk, the survivors are unlikely to open up because of lack of privacy,” she says.
On Thursday last week, however, the locals were relieved after the United Nations Human Rights Commission handed over a number of equipment and furniture to the office, which immediately launched its operations.
The senior human rights adviser from the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Li Fung, handed over chairs, a computer, a printer, a desk and a telephone to aid in service delivery.
Betty Okero of the Civil Society Organisations Network shares a word with Mbale police station gender officer Catherine Nekesa (seated ) in the newly equipped office .
According to Ms Fung, the donation is aimed at creating a more comfortable environment and creating awareness so that more people can report their cases without fear.
“The phone will help in doing follow-ups whenever cases are reported while providing a platform where locals can call any time to report a case of SGBV in a bid to get justice,” she said.
“When we report cases, there are higher chances that justice will prevail. It is only when justice is achieved that we can prevent cases of violations.”
Sub-County Commander Joseph Muturi said the donation would go a long way in improving service delivery.
He said a separate private room would help locals to report violators. Interrogation of survivors is not easy unless the environment is friendly and private, he added.
“We have a number of SGBV cases in Vihiga Sub-County, this comes as a result of disputes, family issues. Cases of defilement and incest are also common.”
Mr Muturi blamed lack of privacy for the many locals seeking help from kangaroo courts, a platform that often compromises justice.
He said survivors should now expect improved service delivery, adding that plans are underway to train more officers in dealing with the rising cases.
Vihiga Sub-County Commander Joseph Muturi addresses visitors during the handover of office equipment at the Mbale police station on February 15, 2024.
The office will also go a long way in building the confidence of residents and police officers in tackling the problem.
Overcoming hurdles
Ms Odumba said: “We expect to have more reporting due to the high level of privacy and promotion of confidence. We expect a large number of survivors and expect to handle so many cases.”
Also present at the event was Betty Okero of the Civil Society Organisations Network. She welcomed the move, stressing that a major barrier to justice is the inability of survivors to report at a place they feel safe.
She said one of the ways to build survivors’ confidence and protect their dignity is supporting the institutions with the responsibility and mandate of initiating the journey to justice and accountability.
“By providing them with a place where they will be confident after reporting, the survivors can still walk with their heads high, knowing their stories are in safe hands,” Ms Okero said.
*Name changed for privacy and protection.
