Sexual violence survivors urge for reparations, end to stigma

Survivors of sexual violence in Kenya are calling for reparations from the government for their failure to prevent election violence that led to sexual violence.

Wangu Kanja Foundation, Centre for Rights Education and Awareness and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights convened the Survivors of Sexual Violence in Kenya Network conference in Nairobi on Wednesday.

More than 45 survivors and representatives of survivors were in attendance with a clarion call for justice.

Wangu Kanja, the founder of the WKF, said for far too long, survivors of sexual violence were denoted in statistics, making it easy for people to dismiss and forget them.

 “We stand in solidarity with survivors, remembering those amongst us who have been threatened and dissuaded in their quest for justice and reparations including those who have lost the will to live,” she said.

“We stand here to remind the government that justice for survivors is still an unfinished business and the longer it takes to address the issue of accountability, the more survivors continue to suffer."

Lucas Kimanthi, assistant director of Reforms and Accountability at KNCHR, said numerous victims of sexual violence in the 2007 poll violence are yet to get justice.

“We are still pursuing petition number 122 of 2013 on the matter of sexual violence where survivors of the 2007-08 conflict are yet to get justice or reparations,” he said.

He said numerous documents of previous election violations are available and there have been signs of a repeat in the upcoming August 9 election.

“Areas with recent unrest such as the Mawanga area of Nakuru and other parts of the country like Marsabit, Elgeyo Marakwet and areas with a history of election violence are likely hot spots for chaos,” he said.

He said sexual violence monitors would be on the ground and hoped law enforcement would also keep an eye on the areas.

A report by KNHRC released in January showed that 900 cases of sexual gender-based violence were recorded in 2007 by the Commission of Inquiry into the post-election violence.

In 2017, the KNCHR documented at least 201 cases of sexual violence.

Survivors of Sexual Violence Network Turkana Coordinator Tumaini Orte said sexual violence is undeniably the single most cruel, steadily growing crime in Kenya.

“Many of us have suffered physical injuries, gynaecological complications such as the ruptured uterus, fistula, sexual dysfunction," she said.

"Sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection, depression and trauma, spousal desertion, inability to sustain livelihoods, unwanted pregnancies and death."

Additionally, she said, the path to recovery is fraught with a myriad of difficulties including an unsympathetic society that isolates and stigmatises them.

Firsthand experiences of stigmatisation have made survivors hide and withdraw thus causing the vice to be perpetuated.

“We urge our fellow Kenyans to embrace us. It is not our fault that we have been sexually violated. Instead, the shame and blame should go where it belongs –to the perpetrator,” she said.

(Edited by Tabnacha O)