Brave women seek justice for post election violence in Kenya
Six months after the contested elections, 20 rape survivors testified before the Waki Commission of Inquiry. They seek justice for acts of sexual violence committed during the post election turmoil.
Driven by hatred and rage, young hooligans and officers in uniforms raided the streets after the contentious election results were announced. Women and children were attacked and often sexually abused. Until recently, their pain and losses had not been addressed but their memories continue to haunt them.
Millicent Obaso, CARE International?s Program Officer for Gender-Based Violence, teamed up with Nairobi?s Women Hospital and the Kenyan Federation of Women?s Lawyers, for the purpose of collecting testimonials and medical records proving that thousands of women were victims of gender-based violence in the months following the disputed presidential elections.
Their goal is to prosecute identified rapists and sexual offenders for committing a crime listed under the Sexual Offences Act, a law that was passed only in 2006.
The very act of testifying, says Obaso, asserts women?s rights in a male-dominated society. Testifying can empower survivors of gender violence to take on the role of activists in promoting better treatment of women. Training and support can help these women move away from a ?victim mentality? and become powerful catalysts in helping others who have suffered sexual violence and in building safer communities.