Women in remote areas of Isiolo have come up with creative initiatives to promote campaigns against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
The coordinated efforts have been taking place in the three sub-counties of Isiolo, Garbatula, and Merti and are being orchestrated to push for the implementation of the gender policy, which is yet to be tabled at the Isiolo County Assembly.
Initiatives such as composing songs, traditional dances, and drama, which are showcased in schools and local public meetings, have been lauded for their effectiveness in passing messages that could be difficult to communicate.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early marriages are among the predominant retrogressive cultures that contribute to GBV among women in Isiolo County.
A group of 30 women from Jiru Boru Borana have been partnering with the Horn of Africa Institute so that they can be sensitising the public on the promotion of women’s empowerment and their rights as an impactful way of keeping the homesteads free of gender violence.
The push to end GBV has led to the establishment of a community action team, which acts as a referral system that promotes prevention, reporting, and how to respond to various cases of GBV and FGM in the region.
In the effort to fight GBV among the local communities, over 200 girls have been sensitised on the dangers of GBV and laws that protect women’s rights.
An Assistant Chief from Kinna in Garbatulla Sub-County, Ms. Safia Galgallo, said that through the collaboration of the government and the civil society organisations, a lot of awareness had been created, and now many people could speak about challenges that faced them in their lives.
She added that the awareness created among the local people had led to enhanced enrolment in schools, which has had a great impact since many girls have rejected the practices of early marriages as well as FGM.
An anti-FGM champion, Ms. Nusra Diba, recounted her ordeal of undergoing FGM at the age of nine and said that through the women’s empowerment and enlightening against the cultural vices, she is now aware of her rights as defined by the constitution, which gives her courage to fight for other girls not to go through similar painful experience.
A Community Health Promoter (CHP), Ali Abduba, said that the women were sensitised on how to take care of victims, especially for defilement cases. He said he takes them to the police station, from where they are issued an OB number, then escorts them to a health care centre, where they are issued with a P3 and offered medical care as well as post-trauma guidance and counselling.
The Horn of Africa Institute Programme Officer, Mr. Pascalia Ogutu, said that the project documents all the survivor stories in order to offer them the necessary support.
He said the survivors are then empowered to become champions who then create public awareness on these negative gender practices.
Mr. Ogutu added that they also work with the members of the public to sensitise them on legal avenues on GBV and how to report cases whenever they happen.
He revealed that the project does not only focus on girls and women but the community at large, where the elders are sensitised through seminars and made to embrace the new norms and practices.
By Kanana Brenda
