Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a scourge that harms individuals and also impacts negatively on our collective progress as a country, Prime Cabinet Secretary (PCS) Musalia Mudavadi has said.
Consequently, Mudavadi said it is also our collective responsibility to speak out for justice, equality, and the inalienable right of every woman, girl, man, and boy to live free from fear and harassment in society.
He further said GBV is not a private issue but a public crisis that requires urgent action from policymakers, community leaders, or youth advocates and civil society to end this vice that happens in both developed and developing countries in the world.
“We gather here in solidarity, from urban centers to rural communities, to amplify the message that GBV is not a private issue but a public crisis that needs urgent action to have the world free from violence and oppression,” said Mudavadi in a speech read on his behalf by the Principal Secretary in the State Department of the Prime Cabinet Secretary Office, Aurelia Chepkurui Rono, on Monday.
The speech, which was read at Unoa Sports Ground in Wote Town in Makueni County during the national launch of the 16 Days of Activism against GBV, noted that the vice continues to occur across all social-economic and cultural backgrounds.
PCS assured that the government is committed to using data from various agencies to guide in coming up with preventive measures geared towards ending all forms of GBV in society.
Mudavadi pointed out that findings from the National Crime Research Centre indicate that there is a sustained prevalence and escalating trends of physical violence within the family set up that violates the rights of children, increase in teenage pregnancies, and school dropout.
However, he observed that there was inconsistency in data categorization, capture, and reporting among different agencies addressing issues of GBV and violation of children’s rights in the country.
“In combating GBV, utilization of data is critical in informing policy and interventions needed to end all forms of gender-based violence. The government is committed to using data collected by various agencies to guide investment in prevention measures,” he pointed out.
According to the Demographic Survey of Kenya 2022, nationally, 34% of women have experienced physical violence, out of which 16% experienced it often, compared to 27% of men who were affected by physical violence.
The survey further says women between the ages of 45 to 49 years old have high experience of physical violence, the highest being at 42%, whereas in Makueni the physical violence rate is at 22.7%, 17.5% is sexual violence, and 6.3% experience violence during pregnancy.
The survey further says that married couples or those living together experience the highest level of physical violence, at 37% for women and 23.5% for men in the country.
The prevalence of female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is 15%; however, the FGM increases with age; for women between the ages of 45 to 49, it is 23%, the survey reveals.
Mudavadi also revealed that the government was committed to ending GBV through legal and policy frameworks like the Sexual Offences Act, the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act, and policies that have built a foundation that emphasizes accountability and justice for survivors.
In this regard, he challenged both the county and national governments, enforcement agencies, and the community to ensure the laws are implemented.
“We know that policies must translate into action; I urge the law enforcement agencies to implement the laws,” he said.
In another development, Mudavadi revealed that the Kenya National Policy on Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence was currently finalizing on male strategy, where the document emphasizes prevention, protection, and support for survivors.
The policy also seeks partnerships with civil society, county governments and international partners, community-based organizations, and leaders to work with all arms of government in implementing the plans.
On safe houses and crisis centers, the government has established over 50 safe houses in partnership with county governments and members of civil society, whereby thousands of women and children have been provided with safe havens.
Concerning empowerment, through collaborations with development partners, economic empowerment programmes have been initiated to assist the survivors across the country.
“By providing financial literacy training and entrepreneurship opportunities, these programmes have helped the survivors to rebuild their lives,” he added.
Speaking at the same event, the Principal Secretary State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action Anne Wang’ombe said that poverty was the main factor contributing to GBV in the country.
On loans, Wang’ombe disclosed that his Ministry will start giving loans to women and appealed to all to apply in an effort to help them initiate income-generating projects to fight the rampant poverty afflicting many.
On her part, Makueni County Deputy Governor (DG) Lucy Mulili lauded the judiciary for jailing a man for 60 years for raping his 87-year-old mother, saying justice was done.
On reporting GBV cases, Mulili warned women against reporting to their elderly parents following obsolete cultural practices and instead advised them to report to the police, who will take action against the perpetrators.
She noted that the killing of women in the county impacts negatively against children who have nobody to take care of them; hence, she called for concerted efforts by all in the society to end this vice that has destroyed families.
“I have attended two burials of women killed this year by their husbands. In one family, a mother left 5 children behind, one of whom was 4 months old. They were distributed to homes; this was too painful to withstand,” she lamented.
Present included Makueni Woman Representative Rose Museo, her counterparts for Nairobi and Machakos Esther Passaris and Joyce Kamene, Makueni Senator Daniel Maanzo, Department of Gender Executive Committee Member Eng. Sabastian Kyoni, and Makueni County Commissioner Duncan Darusi, among other county and national leaders.
By Patrick Nyakundi
