Baragoi medics have been trained on the effective management of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) to aid in successful prosecution of SGBV cases in the area.
During a three-day training facilitated by Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) it emerged that most SGBV cases in Samburu North fail because of inconsistency in filling the post rape care forms.
While training the medics Javan Kado from the Critical Care and Emergency Medicine reiterated the importance of the reporting process for SGBV victims, correctly filling the Post Rape Care Forms (PRCF) and consent forms, which are critical in the prosecution of SGBV cases.
“Doctors, nurses and clinical officers are expected to carefully handle the patient while examining him/her, make sure a consent form is signed before collecting forensic evidence and carefully filling the PRCF to create a strong case during prosecution,” Kado said.
“Most SGBV cases fail or succeed because of the role played by medics,” He added.
The medics were further trained on how to handle and package the crime scene and preserve materials for transportation to the government chemist for further analysis.
“Avoid collecting samples with bare hands or while wearing powdered gloves because they create post contamination. Also, change gloves each time you examine different areas of the SGBV survivor. Use khaki envelopes while transporting to maintain the integrity of every sample,” said Emily Okworo, Senior Analyst at the government chemist.
KRCS Samburu Branch Coordinator Ms Lydia Maina said that to ensure a smooth flow of prosecution of SGBV cases in Samburu County, KRCS has commenced training of community duty bearers in the government structure such as the police, medics and chiefs.
She further said that the civil society project will also strengthen the prevention of GBV taking into consideration the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on GBV as well as election related violence.
By Robert Githu
