A youth led right lobby, Stretchers Youth Organisation, is condemning the increased cases of femicide in the country.
Femicide a term to mean hate crime of systematically killing women, girls, or females in general because of their gender and or sex.
The organisation states that the upsurge in well choreographed killing of women in the country needs everyones attention as it has sent women in Kenya into panic.
Stretchers Youth Organisation Executive Director Dickson Okong’o noted that the escalating gender-based violence poses immediate threats to the rights and lives of women in the country, and that it must be contained.
“As a dedicated youth led organisation, we have vested our efforts in promoting human rights and social justice, we are committed to fostering positive societal change and at no point we will remain mum as we witness gross human rights violation,” reiterated Mr. Okong’o.
He further called for an immediate cease of sharing of gory images of the deceased and those of the crime scenes on Soxial media.
“This is public sentivity issue, we earnestly call upon the public to refrain from sharing graphic images of the deceased and crime scenes since dissemination of such images inflicts tormenting emotional distress on the families affected and the wider public. The public must approach this matter with empathy and respect for the privacy of those grieving,” he noted.
The rights defender further appealed to content creators in the country to exercise utmost sensitivity and responsibility when producing content to raise awareness about femicide by being mindful of the impact of their work since content creators play a vital role in shaping public perceptions and attitudes towards gender based violence.
He noted that content creation is paramount in ensuring that the focus remains on advocacy and not exploitation.
Action
“We further urge the government to ensure that due process is followed in the investigating all femicide cases. We demand that all individuals involved are nabbed and lawfully punished, Kenya constitution undescores the importance of safeguarding everyones life,” he added.
The activist further noted that Kenya, as a nation should commit itself to safeguarding women and girls from all forms of violence, as bound by several international conventions it ratified, among them the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Maputo Protocol.
Mr Okong’o further called for collaboration between civil organisations, the government and the public in eradicating femicide and create a safer society for all.
“We call upon all stakeholders to unite in the fight against all forms of gender-based violence in the society, no woman should die is such manner, we demand action from all the relevant government agenices,” noted Okong’o.
In the recent past weeks, Kenya witnessed a disturbing situation where women are gruesomely murdered in residential accommodations in the name of ‘love’.
The Accommodation in Residence Bed and Breakfast (AiRBnB) have become slaughterhouses for women mostly in Nairobi, Nakuru and Thika, forcing human rights defenders to stage various protests, calling on the government to act on the cruelty.
[Rita Waeni Muendo, a victim of femicide. Photo/courtesy/January, 27 24].
The most foul case being the murder of socialite Starlet Wahu, where a suspect John Matara was arrested and presented in court on Friday, with detectives given more time to piece together relevant evidence against the suspect.
Matara is also suspected to have been involved in a series of torture and murdering women in the country, cases the detectives are still pursuing.
Another heartbreaking incident was that of a JKUAT university student Rita Waeni who was murdered by an alleged boyfriend, already under police custody.
