Rangwe Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Alfet Jillo has issued a stern warning to chiefs and village elders who settle Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases outside the court.
Jillo said SGBV cases, including defilement, are criminal cases, and the perpetrators should not go scot-free but rather must face the full force of the law.
The DCC was speaking during World Aids Day in Ndhiiru where she said derailing justice to victims of SGBV is also an act of crime and will only accelerate the rate of such vices.
“Let us shun the local kangaroo court while handling SGBV incidents where perpetrators compensate the victim’s family locally. If we allow this, then we will not be taking into consideration the future of the survivors,” she said.
“We have sensitised the chiefs and the village elders, and whoever is found working towards derailing justice for the victims, no matter who that person is, then it will not end well with them,” she added.
Jillo further warned that any chief or village elder who is found hiding such cases and was involved in the out-of-court settlement will lose their job.
“Sweeping things under the carpet has consequences, so we need to speak out against these acts of criminality to end them once and for all in our community. This will in turn reduce HIV/AIDS prevalence too,” she urged.
The Homa Bay County Executive Committee member for health, Roselyne Omollo who was also the guest of honour said the county is keen in the implementation of community-led interventions against triple threat of HIV infections, teen pregnancies, and Gender-Based Violence.
“We are taking a preventive approach rather than a curative approach in our interventions against HIV infection, and that is the reason why we put emphasis on the work of Community Health Promoters by ensuring that they are paid on time,” she said.
She urged the community to unite and fight against the triple threat.
By Sitna Omar
