HRW: Kenya Has Failed to Protect Women, Girls From Abuse During Pandemic
A prominent human rights group has accused Kenya's government of failing to adopt preventive measures to protect women and girls during pandemic lockdowns and curfews. Human Rights Watch says the government failed to ensure access to health, economic, and social support services, adding to an increase in sexual and other forms of abuse against women and girls.
In a 61-page report entitled "I had nowhere to go,” Human Rights Watch documented how the government failed victims of gender-based violence as the government introduced lockdowns, issued restrictions of the movement of people to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Agnes Odhiambo is human rights researcher on Women's Issues. Speaking
Tuesday at a press conference in Nairobi, she said the pandemic has
increased violence against women, as they were confined to their homes.
"Women were at increased risk of violence because of increased social
isolation spending a lot of time in the home, in the house being stuck
with someone who is abusing you. Many women did also not get information
on how they could get help during lockdowns," Odhiambo said. "The
breakdown of community structures for support and networks in
communities also means that many women did not have somewhere to go and
get help.”
Human rights watch investigators spoke to 13 survivors, community workers, experts and officials working with the police program meant to combat violence against women.
Victims told the rights group they were sexually abused, faced beatings
and were thrown out of their homes. Young girls were forced to marry at a
younger age and to undergo female genital mutilation.
The investigators found that most survivors did not report the abuse to
the authorities because they believed they would not receive assistance.
Others believed they would have to bribe authorities to get assistance and could not pay.
Beverline Ongaro works at the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for
Human Rights. She told journalists they would work with Kenyan
authorities to ensure survivors get protection and justice.
"It provides us with an insight on the barriers survivors face and what
needs to be done by duty barriers from survivors perspective and
ultimately for the government to comply with its human rights
obligations as under treaties and under Kenyan law particularly the
constitution," said Ongaro. "Allow me to reiterate that when we tolerate
GBV [gender-based violence], it violates the human rights of the
survivors and also their humanity.”
Kenya's government has passed a number of laws in response to
gender-based violence. It also has established guidelines for responding
to such violence by police, specialized medical personnel, and justice
officials.
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