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Hundreds of protestors in Kenya’s capital of Nairobi were hit by police with tear gas on Tuesday as they protested a nationwide swell in gender-based violence and femicide.
Marking Human Rights Day, protestors marched towards Parliament to demand justice for victims and to hold perpetrators accountable by prioritizing investigations and instituting stronger protection mechanisms. On their way, police used teargas in an attempt to disperse the protestors. Protestors were met with physical force as well as arrests. Activist Mwikali Mueni told The Associated Press that her neck had been injured by the police and required medical treatment. Speaking further on the use of physical force, activist Mariam Chande said, “Why are we being beaten and tear-gassed, yet we are peaceful? We will keep coming to the streets till the day women will stop being slaughtered like animals”. The use of tear gas reflects a concerning pattern by Kenyan law enforcement, who similarly resorted to tear gas to disperse protestors who gathered in November to commemorate International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Amnesty International Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya, Human is My ID Alliance, and the End of Femicide KE Movement have jointly condemned the treatment of protestors as a violation of the right to assemble and demonstrate as enshrined under Article 37 of the Kenya Constitution. The organisations criticised the use of disproportionate force and unwarranted arrests as a violation of democratic principles and an endangerment to the rule of law, spelling concerning chilling effects on women’s justice if the government does not take immediate restorative action. The joint statement says such action requires the immediate release of protestors, independent investigation into police action, and expedition of investigations into femicide cases.
On the same day as the protests, Kenya’s government announced a three-year initiative entitled the ‘Safe Homes Safe Spaces’ initiative that aims to reduce gender-based violence in the country. Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspore Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, explained, “[t]his bold and collaborative campaign seeks to foster nationwide awareness and inspire every Kenyan to rethink conflict resolution and embrace non-violent alternatives in their daily lives”. Mudavadi says the shift in statistics “reflects not just a crisis in safety but a deeper breakdown in our societal values and moral fabric”.
According to the Africa Data Hub, at least 500 Kenyan women and girls have lost their lives to gender-based violence between 2016 and 2023. Those statistics show that intimate partners and family members are responsible for the majority of deaths. The 2023 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey shows that 20 percent of women in Kenya have experienced intimate partner violence. Speaking to the latter report, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspore Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, acknowledged that the numbers are likely to be higher due to fears of reporting.
The protests in Nairobi are not unprecedented. Earlier in the year, thousands marched in what has been described as Kenya’s largest-ever anti-femicide demonstration. The protests were in response to 16 Kenyan girls and women who tragically lost their lives to gender-based violence in January.
Government action and societal reform are sorely needed, and it remains to be seen whether the government’s latest initiative will deliver any tangible change.
The post Kenya police fire tear gas at women protesting gender killings appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Marking Human Rights Day, protestors marched towards Parliament to demand justice for victims and to hold perpetrators accountable by prioritizing investigations and instituting stronger protection mechanisms. On their way, police used teargas in an attempt to disperse the protestors. Protestors were met with physical force as well as arrests. Activist Mwikali Mueni told The Associated Press that her neck had been injured by the police and required medical treatment. Speaking further on the use of physical force, activist Mariam Chande said, “Why are we being beaten and tear-gassed, yet we are peaceful? We will keep coming to the streets till the day women will stop being slaughtered like animals”. The use of tear gas reflects a concerning pattern by Kenyan law enforcement, who similarly resorted to tear gas to disperse protestors who gathered in November to commemorate International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Amnesty International Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya, Human is My ID Alliance, and the End of Femicide KE Movement have jointly condemned the treatment of protestors as a violation of the right to assemble and demonstrate as enshrined under Article 37 of the Kenya Constitution. The organisations criticised the use of disproportionate force and unwarranted arrests as a violation of democratic principles and an endangerment to the rule of law, spelling concerning chilling effects on women’s justice if the government does not take immediate restorative action. The joint statement says such action requires the immediate release of protestors, independent investigation into police action, and expedition of investigations into femicide cases.
On the same day as the protests, Kenya’s government announced a three-year initiative entitled the ‘Safe Homes Safe Spaces’ initiative that aims to reduce gender-based violence in the country. Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspore Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, explained, “[t]his bold and collaborative campaign seeks to foster nationwide awareness and inspire every Kenyan to rethink conflict resolution and embrace non-violent alternatives in their daily lives”. Mudavadi says the shift in statistics “reflects not just a crisis in safety but a deeper breakdown in our societal values and moral fabric”.
According to the Africa Data Hub, at least 500 Kenyan women and girls have lost their lives to gender-based violence between 2016 and 2023. Those statistics show that intimate partners and family members are responsible for the majority of deaths. The 2023 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey shows that 20 percent of women in Kenya have experienced intimate partner violence. Speaking to the latter report, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspore Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, acknowledged that the numbers are likely to be higher due to fears of reporting.
The protests in Nairobi are not unprecedented. Earlier in the year, thousands marched in what has been described as Kenya’s largest-ever anti-femicide demonstration. The protests were in response to 16 Kenyan girls and women who tragically lost their lives to gender-based violence in January.
Government action and societal reform are sorely needed, and it remains to be seen whether the government’s latest initiative will deliver any tangible change.
The post Kenya police fire tear gas at women protesting gender killings appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.