Activists in the LGBTQ+ community have said it is difficult for their members to report gender-based and intimate partner violence cases to the authorities.
They said that due to the existing legal landscape, persons who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex or Queer will find it hard to report such cases.
They said many do not report gender-based violence or intimate partner violence for fear of arrests, self-incrimination and further harm.
“These incidences can be attributed to the absence of strong protections, weak preventive mechanisms for survivors, evasive prosecution of GBV cases, and an uncoordinated, often reluctant response to SGBV by state and non-state actors,” they said on Tuesday.
They said that the killing of Edwin Chiloba has exposed the rise in Sexual and Gender-based Violence and Intimate Partner Violence in Kenya.
“We call on the government to honour its pledge to align Kenya’s legal and legislative environment with international and regional standards on GBV,” they said.
They stressed the importance of developing favourable social norms, attitudes and behaviours at institutional, community and individual levels to prevent and respond to GBV.
‘We additionally call on the national and county government to improve the quality of essential GBV services for all its constituents without prejudice,” they said.
