The world began observing the annual commemoration of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence beginning this Friday, November 25, and will end on December 10.
It is time for Kenya to fight the vice as a whole, rather than focusing solely on “hotspot” counties.
Gender-based domestic violence continues to affect young girls and women, particularly those with disabilities, and is one of the most persistent violations of human rights.
Despite the various laws and policies enacted to protect women and children from various forms of violence, the burden has not been lifted.
Apart from the Constitution, Kenya has a slew of progressive laws aimed at combating these vices, such as the Sexual Offences Act (2006), the Protection against Domestic Violence Act (2015), the Children’s Act (2010), and other national and county policy documents.
However, many young girls and women continue to bear the brunt of these poorly enforced laws, which frequently leave perpetrators with nothing more than a slap on the wrist and the green light to commit the same crimes again and again.
Over time, our social disregard for vices like threats, coercion, trafficking, female genital cutting/mutilation, and intimate partner violence, including rape, has institutionalized SGBV, where young girls, women, and other marginalized groups are restricted or denied access to health services.
In the long run, this prevents every citizen from attaining the highest standards of health as enshrined in the Constitution.
In many communities, the cultural segregation of young boys and men from awareness creation has also contributed to an increase in the number of perpetrators.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence is an opportunity to unearth and normalize ‘uncomfortable’ conversations about SGBV.
These include the underlying causes, which are based primarily on income disparities, harmful gender norms, and unequal power distribution.
This also implies that gender wars must end immediately and be replaced by an inclusive environment in which all genders collaborate for the betterment of humanity.
