TIPPING THE SCALE TOWARDS A FUTURE FREE OF GBV.

It is quite shameful that even in the 21st century, Gender based violence, a monstrous act, that we should be rid of still holds power over us and continues to weigh us down as days go by. Statistics by the Kenya Demographics &Health Survey (KDHS) show that ,40% of women die due physical and sexual violence annually. It is sufficing to assume that this number will gradually continue to increase especially, in these tough economic times where the taxes keep rising faster than the sea levels.

GBV just like a parasite keeps sucking the life out of others so has it done. The number of people who have succumbed to it keep rising and until we find a permanent solution to it, am afraid the record will keep increasing. This pegs the question, who is to blame for lives lost to GBV and what can be done to reduce fatalities or better yet to be rid of it? The answer to these questions is simple, everyone is to blame, and we all have a role to play to rid of GBV permanently and scale towards a better future. Quoting the words of, Nelson Mandela, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Change starts when you and I, come together, end our differences and work towards a common goal. Here is what we need to do ;

Victims.

Victims of GBV play the most vital role in spearheading the stop of GBV. They have to be willing to stand up for themselves and break the cycle of abuse. I acknowledge that, that might be the hardest task of this whole process, but nothing comes easy in life. Breaking the silence, speaking out ensures a stop to this monstrous act and also serves as a remedy to their trauma as the famous saying goes, “A problem shared is half solved “, hence they will be able to heal physically, psychologically and emotionally. Speaking out also ensures the perpetrators are held accountable for their action and brought to justice.

Parents.

A parent is the child’s first teacher. From a young age, children learn to observe(see) before they can speak, crawl, walk, read or write so in every way they get a grasp of what is happening around them. The thing with first impressions is that they are like glue they tend to stick or rather they are like stains, no matter how much you wash them out, they do not fade easily. Parents have a major impact on their children’s lives and thus should watch how they treat the other especially in front of their kids. Teaching them about equality, fairness and respect is a great start to laying their foundation firmly and setting their path straight towards a better future.

Community health workers.

Community health workers are also major players in this whole act. Their main duty is to treat, create public awareness through advocacy campaigns on issues facing the community. Their sole purpose is to serve the public and hence prioritizing outweighs everything else.

When conducting awareness campaigns, they should invite both participants male and female to educate them about GBV and its aftereffects seeing as it is an act perpetrated not only against women as stereotypically assumed but also against men. Leaving a tip line incase an incident occurs or incase a victim requires counselling or help of any form is worth considering.

Teenagers and the youth.

In the wise words of a famous musician, Nicki Minaj,” Go to school, learn, graduate, because at the end of the day, they can say whatever they want but cannot take that degree away from you.” Dropping out of school to get married is a straight ticket to the front seat of facing GBV. No matter how hard education is, trust me when I say, marriage is not the solution, it’s just but a harder route with sweet beginnings at first to entice you. Get a degree/certificate, own a craft and build a career then dive into marriage after you make your own money.

Religious institutions.

This is the first place you would expect this monstrous act to be highly discouraged, right? Tough luck my friend. Quite the contrary, you find that some of the religious leaders are the ones practicing it. Talk of drinking water and preaching wine. Hypocrisy, greed for money and power has dominated these institutions, as you find they no longer care about the lives of the Christians. GBV should be condemned regardless of who the perpetrator is and the position he holds in the institution. Acts of patience, humility and submissiveness should not be confused with acts of GBV and superiority.

Government officials.

This category basically contains people given the power who act as a representation of the people. Quite a large category of people falls under this one who include the likes of the MCAs, women rep, MPs, governors, senators, chiefs, police, law-enforcers, CSs etc.

• Starting us off is the chiefs, sub-chiefs and his committee, the ‘Nyumba kumi”.

These are the people who are nearest to the action and as such should be at the forefront in campaigning against GBV. Their main duty is to serve the locality they represent meaning the people in that area. Disputes, disagreements and conflicts are part of daily life but that does not give them the right to take matters lightly or to pick sides and pin or favor one against the other due to personal interests, power or status. They however should investigate, research and solve the matter amicably between the disputed parties.

• The police

‘To serve and protect’ is their motto. It clearly does not state that they should serve and protect who they want and leave the rest to lot, we are all equal before the law and as such should be treated fairly and accorded the same respect.

Gender based violence cases are very common and also quite challenging as sometimes they are one-sided. Investigate, research about the victims and the accused and ensure justice is served and all are protected. They should also bear in mind that their duty is to serve and protect not to punish and serve sentences and punishments.

• Law enforcers (Judiciary)

Article 28 of the Kenyan constitution, clearly stipulates that, ’every person has an inherent dignity and the right to have that dignity respected” and Article 29 (c) that stipulates that, “every person has a right to freedom and security of the person, which includes the right not to be-©subjected to any form of violence from either public or private sources (domestic violence.” This law should be upheld regardless of background, ethnicity and power of the victim as no one is above the law.

For the law-enforcers, which include lawyers, prosecutors, advocates and judges, article 28 and 29, should be your guiding principle, in making all decisions in relations to matters GBV.

Lastly, the larger category containing people the likes of MCAs, governors, women reps, MPs, senators CSs and other officials in government put there to represent the rights of the people also have a role to play.

Creating an environment where the victims can speak out about their concerns without fear of being ridiculed or a source of debate to push their political agenda and personal interests. It is their duty as our representatives to create facilities (safe places) where victims can get counselling, medical care and attention and also enact laws in parliament that protect victims of GBV and condemn acts associated with GBV.

Society as a whole that includes you and me.

GBV is a sensitive topic and should not be taken lightly or as a source of gossip among the people. Change start with us and as such we need to be mindful of our words which hold the ultimate power. The aftermath, of GBV include effects such as isolation, depression, suicide which all are as a result of how, the society condemns and treat the victims. We need to change our mentality and attitude if there is to be a better future. And unlike employment which considers mainly “connections” anyone can be a victim of GBV regardless of class, age, gender, ethnic group or educational background. Stereotyping and stigmatizing victims is not the path towards a future free of GBV.

Media.

The media has a wider reach and hold convincing power over the people. Use that to your advantage and discourage and condemn or acts of GBV. Encourage people to stand out and speak out. Share some of the successful stories of victims who have being able to escape its clutches and watch how you transform lives. That being said, however, I applaud you for the good work you’ve been doing so far.

Ngo and other organizations.

I appreciate the work that you’ve have being doing so far, however each problem stems from somewhere and thus you need to create a network where you can address the problem from the root. Engage all stakeholders mostly the leaders who are nearest to the action who are the chiefs and community leaders to get a better grasp at the matter.

Last and definitely not the least, the only to stop GBV is when we all need to come together as individuals all blessed with unique talents and responsibilities and take action against perpetrators of GBV.A future free of GBV is only possible through cooperation of everyone which starts by acknowledging our share of the blame, playing our roles right thus tipping the scale towards a great, secure future free of GBV.