Survivors of sexual violence in Kenya want the government to declare the vice a national disaster.
Speaking during a press conference held at the Kenya Comfort Hotel in Nairobi, the survivors said sexual violence has become the single most cruel and steadily growing crime in Kenya.
Its magnitude, they argued, is large with its socio-economic consequences threatening to tear families and communities apart.
The majority of the survivors present at the meeting have suffered various forms of sexual violence that include rape, gang rapes, forcible circumcision of men, genital mutilation, sexual slavery and enslavement, sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence.
Yesterday, they faulted President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto for failing to fulfil a promise they made to victims of the 2007-08 post-election violence.
The head of state, according to them, had indicated that they “will not rest” until every victim is compensated.
“But where is the compensation for survivors of sexual violence when IDPs are being compensated? The inordinate delay in delivering reparations to this category of victims shows there is a policy of neglect from duty bearers. Time is running out for the most vulnerable,” they said in a statement.
They also took issue with how the courts continue to drag their feet in prosecuting and convicting sexual violence offenders even in cases where evidence is available.