The International Day of the Girl Child was marked in Laikipia with a call to residents to utilise the policare office at the Nanyuki police station in an effort to reduce sexual gender-based violence (SGBV).
Pupils, students, child activists, government officers, and other anti-FGM stakeholders held a procession in the street of Nanyuki, spreading the message in line with the theme of this year’s celebrations, which was “Our Time is Now, Our Rights, Our Future.” The day is normally commemorated on October 11 annually.
The theme aimed to connect adolescent girls with stakeholders that champion their rights, which include the government, non-government organisations, and civil society.
Ant-FGM Board Programme Manager Nyerere Kutwa termed Laikipia as one of the SGBV hotspots in the country where Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), early child marriages, and teen pregnancies were prevalent.
“We are here to partner with the schools, community organisations, government, and private sectors to amplify the voices of girls. Laikipia is one of the FGM hotspots in Kenya,” said Kutwa, adding that there was a need to create awareness against the SGBV vices in the county.
Laikipia East Deputy County Commissioner, who officiated the flagging-off ceremony, said that FGM was a hindrance to girls’ empowerment.
The DCC encouraged the utilisation of policare, a one-stop shop that addresses SGBV, revealing that the Sh9 million facility was equipped with a judiciary, children’s, doctor’s triaging room, and investigator’s sections seeking to ensure justice is dispensed to the victims on time.
“Today is a day to highlight the challenges facing a girl child and what they go through, including FGM. However, in Laikipia, we are privileged to have policare, a one-stop shop that all SGBV cases should be reported to,” said Muli.
Muli said that services at the policare were offered free of charge, and residents should not shy away from visiting the facility to report SGBV cases.
On her part, Laikipia County Gender Coordinator Karen Kiogora decried that defilement cases were rampant in urban-poor areas and called on parents to be keen on protecting their girls, aimed at ensuring they do not fall victim to SGBV.
SGBV stakeholders also appealed for increased funding to help in the fight against FGM cases in the country.
By Muturi Mwangi
