FEMINISM AND THE RISE OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE LEADING TO FEMICIDE IN KENYA.

By:

Vkwegah
#Stopkillingwomen, #womenrightsarehumanrights #women'slifesmatter,

are some of the trending captions on media caused by the sudden rise of femicide cases, yet again in Kenya. This trend has also caught the eyes of the feminist movement in Kenya, a movement which aims at ending gender inequality and eliminate sexual violence among other aims. It is a movement with a motive to put an end to sexism and exploitation and to seeforth the achievement of full gender equality.

However, the society has a demeaning understanding of feminism. As put by the International Women's Development Agency which exists to protect the interests of women, describes feminism as an aspect of all genders having equal rights and opportunities and striving to empower all women to realize their full potential. Quite a number of people tend to hate on feminist and view them as people who have developed prejudice and hatered towards men. However, that is not the case, feminist simply believe and champion for same rights of both genders and not necessarily hating on men.

The rise in femicide cases has caught the attention of not only women and feminists but also the society at large. With that, one may struggle with the understanding of what femicide is, femicide is the killing of women by virtue of them being women. This definition brings us to question, "is being a female in today's society a crime?"

In January 2024, the same spark caught the eyes of the nation following the sudden murder of two ladies, one of them being a media influencer well known as Starlet Wahu. This even caused a march in the streets of Nairobi demanding an end to femicide and Gender-based violence. The repetition of the same, in current times, spotlights a worrying regularity of Gender-Based Violence and femicide in Kenya.

It is seen that perpetrators have turned the digital social space into their hunting grounds. Most cases reported hold it that victims involved had earlier linked up through one or the other social app. However, this should not demean the aspect of consent and respect of the other person's oppinion. It should be mastered that NO is a firm answer even without explanation.

Abuses cases are rife, as news reports cases of women being attacked, beaten, raped, stubbed and even dumped in unknown places only to be found days later. A 2022 national survey indicated that about a third of Kenyan females have experienced some form of physical violence. This creates a general atmosphere of fear and it is really heartbreaking how authorities in charge are not taking this seriously into account. Inyika Odero, a Kenyan activist reported, "we as Kenyan women are not being listened to," this is a very sad report, a phrase that clearly puts out how the society is patriarchal and pays little attention to the needs of women.

We also tend to ask ourselves why is femicide and sexual violence on the rise yet Kenya has adopted measures against this, giving examples are treaties,such as CEDAW that protects women and girls against discrimination. Kenya has national laws that protect against sexual violence, an example is the Sexual Offences Act that criminalizes any form of sexual violence. Additionally, Kenya has established a police force that has a specialised gender desk to deal with such matters. The question again arises, why then are the government measures not effective?

Gender-Based Violence, Femicide cases and sexual violence have their root causes in the society within and nothing emanating from outside. Some of this causes are; the deep seated mysoginistic Culture, a culture which holds the idea of prejudice and hatered towards women. A culture that sees women as objects to be owned and shames them as being victims. Another cause is the idea of patriarchy, where men tend to feel in control and having authority over women hence can command them in any way they please. The third cause  identified is gender inequality, having grown up in a society where men were seen to lead and women to be subordinate and submissive, gives rise to Gender-based violence and sexual violence as men have the set mentality that they have authority over women and they can not take a no from a woman. Forthly, individual and relationship factors can lead to this violence, it is here where the aspect of marital rape is greatly argued. Consent is key, however many sexual violence and femicide cases are seen amongst people who are in relationships. People are misled by the relationship myth that being in a relationship translates to ownership where failure to do what the other person wants leads to cases of sexual assault. Lastly, lack of enough financial resources, mostly on the women's side, causes them to be taken advantage of.

Having seen the rise of this trend, it is therefore a call to the society at large, irregardless of gender, to stand out and advocate for women's rights. This can be done through; educating and creating awareness of women's and girl's rights in the society, challenging gender stereotypes, empowering women and girls by giving them opportunities,  listening to survivors of this violences, supporting women rights organisations and holding people accountable to ensure justice is served. 

We should all cohabit in a society where safety is assured and not be worried of walking in the dark or alone because of the fear of being abused.

Hence, a call to the men, the boys, the women, the girls, a call to everyone to create awareness on Gender- Based Violence, Sexual Violence and an end to femicide.

WOMEN'S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

By  Kwegah Valentine