By Betty Luke
Forty (40) pastoralist women from four wards in Isiolo have been trained on tackling Gender Based Violence (GBV) against women and encouraged to scale down the knowledge to the grassroots.
The initiative by Isiolo Gender Watch (IGW) seeks to build a dynamic social movement as well as attract public support to eradicate violence against women.
Besides building women’s knowledge about their rights, the African Women Development Bank-funded program also seeks to push for the implementation of policies aimed at eliminating GBV.
The one-year programme dubbed Eliminating GBV against Indigenous pastoralist women and young girls in Isiolo additionally hopes to change practices that promote violence against women.
“Women and girls bear the biggest brunt of GBV and therefore there is a need to equip them with the necessary knowledge to identify, act upon and prevent violence likely to be meted on them,” said IGW project officer Peter Ekai.
According to the official, pastoralists’ women and girls were prone to all forms of abuse due to the patriarchal system in the majority of the communities.
He said it was sad that in the 21st century, women still had no say in decision-making processes.
“They are sometimes allowed into the meeting but not to share their opinion. They are there to only be seen because they cannot speak in front of men. That is an infringement to their freedom of expression and speech,” he noted.
Ms Kuresha Bille said the training equipped them with knowledge and confidence to speak up whenever their rights are violated.
“There are violations that have been happening and we thought it was normal. We are now fully equipped to identify and report all forms of violence against us in the villages,” she said.
Another beneficiary Ms Sadia Boru said the initiative was impactful as it encouraged women to be bold whenever they have been subjected to violence and call for help.
“Majority of us used to hide our faces even when we have been subjected to pain but now we are confident enough to speak about that which affects us,” she said.
The women representing 40 grassroots women groups are expected to enlighten their group members on the knowledge gained.
Data from the Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) show that about four in every 10 women have been subjected to either physical or sexual abuse mostly by an intimate partner.
Additionally, one in five and one in four girls undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early marriage respectively.
IGW has been instrumental in championing the rights of women and girls as well as pushing for their inclusion in decision-making, a move that has seen tens of women elected and appointed to leadership positions at the community level and beyond.
