A number of hundred folks marched in Nairobi on Saturday to protest in opposition to femicide in Kenya the place over a dozen girls have been killed this month in instances that shocked the nation.
The campaigners took to the streets of the capital holding placards that learn “Being a lady shouldn’t be a loss of life sentence”, “Patriarchy kills” whereas others featured names and pictures of the victims.
“Cease killing us,” they chanted as they marched in direction of parliament, bringing site visitors to a halt in Nairobi’s central enterprise district.
Not less than 16 girls have been killed in Kenya this 12 months, in accordance with media studies, shining a highlight on violence in opposition to girls which the federal government has described as “rising”.
In one of many instances that gained nationwide consideration, a 26-year-old girl was killed on January 4 at a short-term rental condo by a suspect who police say is a part of an extortionist gang which targets girls by way of courting websites.
Barely a fortnight later, a 20-year-old girl was strangled, dismembered and her stays stuffed right into a plastic bag.
The ugly killing triggered nationwide shock, together with the chief authorities pathologist Johansen Oduor who mentioned he had “by no means come throughout” such an incident over a two-decade forensic profession.
Two males are in police custody over the case however are but to be charged.
“Femicide is essentially the most brutal manifestation of gender-based violence,” Amnesty Worldwide’s Kenya chapter mentioned in an announcement forward of the march.
“It’s unacceptable and must not ever be normalised,” the rights group mentioned, calling on authorities to expedite investigations and prosecution of the perpetrators.
– ‘Time to face up’ –
At Saturday’s protest, Terry Wangare, a communications officer, mentioned it was “time for Kenya to face up and decide”.
“No one cares. In case you complain, you’re unhealthy,” the 32-year-old advised AFP.
Pupil Religion Claire Wanjiru, 23, who was at her first protest, mentioned she was “offended” and was not going to tolerate the violence.
“Taking somebody’s life shouldn’t be anybody’s work,” she mentioned.
Organisers of the protest mentioned different marches befell in 10 different areas together with the lakeside metropolis of Kisumu and the Indian Ocean port metropolis of Mombasa.
Greater than 30 % of girls in Kenya expertise bodily violence and 13 % expertise some type of sexual violence, in accordance with a authorities report launched final 12 months.
Human rights watchdogs are satisfied that the quantity represents only a fraction of precise instances.
There have been at the very least 152 instances of femicide in Kenya final 12 months, in accordance with non-profit Femicide Rely, which retains a tally of solely reported incidents.
In 2022, some 725 girls and women have been murdered within the East African nation, in accordance with a report from the UN Workplace on Medication and Crime.
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