A cross section of leaders and non-governmental organizations based in Kericho County have recommended establishment of Gender Based Violence (GBV) Recovery Centers in hospitals to deal with the rising cases of defilement in the County.
The GBV activists led by Public Service and Gender Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Linah Jebii Kilimo and Chairperson of the Anti- FGM Board Agnes Mantaine Pareyio have called on the Kericho County government to prioritize the Gender Based Violence Recovery Centers that will also cater for victims of Female Genital Mutilation that has also started to crop up in the County.
“The recovery centers will be of great help to victims as they will receive immediate care and attention they require and will also help in protecting evidence, so that the culprits can be brought to book,” she noted.
“Gender Based Violence is one of the most pervasive violations of human rights, whose victims are women and are often left without any form of immediate protection when it happens,” said Kilimo
They were speaking during the second day of the Kericho Intergovernmental County Gender Sector working groups committee that was earlier launched at a Kericho Hotel.
“Our mandate is to educate the community on the effects of Female Genital Mutilation. It is a tradition that has started to manifest in our villages and what is needed is to act on it to stop it,” said Pareyio.
At the same time, the chairperson raised her concern over twenty women who recently underwent Female Genital Mutilation at Arokyet and Kaptelle, Bureti Sub-County, Kericho County.
“We are wondering why the practice is creeping back, yet the vice had been clamped down and with President Uhuru Kenyatta having committed the government to end the retrogressive practice by the year 2022,” said Pareyio.
Kericho Intergovernmental County Gender Sector working groups committee comprised of County and National leaders as well as non-governmental organizations will continue holding monthly meetings to ensure its recommendations on fighting the vice in the area is reached.
By Kibe Mburu
