President William Ruto’s Advisor on Women Rights Harriette Chiggai has unveiled a new campaign – Safe Homes, Safe Space – to tackle the gender-based violence (GBV) in Kenya.
In a statement, Chiggai noted that GBV is like an iceberg and what is seen is just the tip and that the bigger magnitude lies underneath the waters.
She said the push and pull factors that fuel and catalyze GBV reside in home and if the country hopes to actualize the zero tolerance to GBV, the campaign must start from the homes.
“My office has therefore taken the bull by its horns and we will be going down to the grassroots, calling the decision-makers in our homes, to come out and drive the change, going to the Spost Federations and demanding for candid discussions,” she said.
She said her desire is to see the campaigns churn out home-grown solutions to the problems and uproot GBV right out of its source.
Chiggai said her office in collaboration with academia is undertaking research on GBV in sports to help reveal the magnitude of the problem because numbers will show the breadth of the problem and help formulate better policies.
“So far we have anecdotal evidence and during the recent Women in Data Summit that my Office spearheaded, there was agreement amongst stakeholders to invest more in data so that we can create visibility and actions of the challenges that women and girls face in each sector,” she said.
She said the research her office is undertaking will be launched during the 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence adding that the research will further help her office support the Government’s approach of creating awareness with the target of ending GBV by 2026.
Chiggai noted that without ending GBV globally, there will be no chance of achieving 14 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Kenya committed itself under the Generation Equality Forum in 2021 to end all forms of violence by 2026. As a Nation we boast of robust laws from the Sexual Offences Act of 2006, the Anti FGM Act of 2011, the Childrens Act 2002 and many others to mention but a few. We are also signatory to international instruments to end harmful cultural practices.
