Wanjeri was compelled to conduct the research after her own battle with mental health problems in the past following an altercation with law enforcement during a protest.
The assault left her feeling frightened and anxious that someone was following her or wanted to attack her.
When she was unable to receive adequate help from mental health practitioners, she felt there was something she had to do to change this.
“The psychiatrist I consulted was more intent on hearing about the cases I handled rather than how I was feeling. I was very frustrated,” she said.
She said that activists are exposed to attacks from different kinds of people including hired Police Officers who threaten them and their families because of the work they do.
“These experiences cause us mental stress such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorders that cause them constant anxiety, fear of being attacked and reliving experiences of being physically attacked while championing for human rights,” Wanjeri said.
Alice Nah, a professor from the University of York, said that helping people seek justice and defending their basic rights, may take a mental toll on activists.
“These experiences of human rights abuses have an impact on us because we are human beings and get touched by people's stories. Defenders around the world sometimes feel guilty for seeking help,” she said during the launch.
Wanjeri called on the Government to remember rights defenders when conducting campaigns for mental health awareness, especially as the world marks International women human rights defenders day today,
She encouraged other organisations to work towards conducting similar research so the need to prioritise mental health among rights defenders can be realised.
“I cannot stress enough how important it is for us to have support. The need for a safe space that is minus any judgment"
"We need to have therapists who value us and the work we do that way, we can also feel we are being fought for when we fight for others,” she concluded.
