KENYA: More than 1 million people signed an online petition demanding justice after six men accused of beating and raping a 16-year-old girl in Western Kenya were ordered to trim the grass at a police camp as punishment, then set free

Record ID: 362770

  • Title: KENYA: More than 1 million people signed an online petition demanding justice after six men accused of beating and raping a 16-year-old girl in Western Kenya were ordered to trim the grass at a police camp as punishment, then set free
  • Date: 31st October 2013
  • Summary: NAIROBI , KENYA (OCTOBER 31, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS HOLDING BANNERS AND MARCHING DOWN THE STREET SINGING/ BANNER READING: "SEXUAL VIOLENCE SURVIVORS, WHO TAKES CARE OF THEM", "1,200,000 + DEMAND JUSTICE FOR LIZ!!!" MORE OF DEMONSTRATORS HOLDING BANNERS READING: "SLASHING GRASS IS NOT PUNISHMENT FOR RAPE!", "WE DEMAND JUSTICE FOR LIZ" FEMALE DEMONSTRATOR
  • Embargoed: 15th November 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Reuters ID: LVABH6MRO7ICA1ETGHHTS7JRP34
  • Story Text: Hundreds of activists waved placards and women's underwear as they marched through the streets of Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday (October 31) to show support for a 16 year-old girl who was gang raped and left for dead in a pit latrine in June.
    Organised by an umbrella of organisations fighting to end gender based violence, the protest dubbed "Keep off our panties" saw the group make its way to the police headquarters to present the Inspector General Office of Police David Kimaiyo, with a petition signed by more that one million people around the globe, calling for justice.
    Liz's (not her real name) case has caused outrage.
    In Kenya, rape and sexual violence are rarely reported, due to stigma and lack of faith in the criminal justice system.
    On the night of June 26th, Liz was walking home from her grandfather's funeral when she was attacked by six men, who beat her then took turns raping her. She was thrown in a pit latrine and left for dead.
    After surviving a night in the the latrine, Liz was rescued by local residents and later identified three of the alleged rapists.
    Police ordered the three suspects to cut grass in the police compound and later freed them.
    Liz who is now in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, has undergone two surgeries following the attack. She suffered a broken back and a double fistula - holes between her vagina and rectum, which means she no longer has control of her bowels.
    The online petition, launched by gender activist and head of communications at the African Woman Development and Communication Network (Femnet) Nebila Abdulmelik, was a trending topic on various social media platforms - something that helped bring the case to the world's attention.

    "So I think we have a number of demands. The sexual Offences Act I think we mentioned has provision that say governments should be covering her hospital bills. I know that's not the office of the inspector general but hoe can we work together, so we are not having peace meal initiatives, but we have a co-ordinated response," she said.
    Sexual violence is widespread in Kenya and critics say the police do not take it seriously enough, where a mix of social and cultural traditions feed perceptions around sexual violence and rape.

    "Sexual violence has different attitudes depending on different communities. We have those who feel like if I do this I will feel ok. We have those who have the perceptions that if I have a defilement, I will get rid fo HIV. So people take it at different levels. The more literate, take it at a different level. But the illiterate one take it at the other angle, but all in all it's a harm," said gender activist Benjamin Wandera.
    Twenty eight-year-old rape survivor and activist, Sitawa Wafula is at the forefront of Kenya's fight to raise awareness about the crime of rape and sexual violence.
    Wafula was raped by an acquaintance 10 years ago and says what she knows now could change the future for other victims.

    "I had no information, I didn't know what to do, what not to do. That is the one thing I now stand and share with people. This is what you are supposed to do, this is what is not meant to be done to you. So no, I didn't report, no I didn't follow up on it because first as I said, it was pure ignorance on my end. Secondly I was dealing with so much internally that I wanted to be at peace for me, here and now," she said.
    Wafula, who is also a poet says she uses every platform she can get, to talk about sexual violence even though the subject is considered taboo by many.

    "When it's a piece about rape or sexual violence, it's like a headline it's not something that people sit down and say hey, we need to talk to our children, we need to talk to our congregants if it's in church, the mosque or the temple about rape, about sexual violence, about the things that need to happen. So it's still on the hush hush side of things," she said.
    Wafula said some progress has been made with the introduction of hotlines for women and children, as well as gender based violence centers to treat victims of sexual violence, but a lot more needs to be done.
    According to the Kenyan government and the UN, nearly one in every three girls will experience sexual violence before they are 18.
    A Kenya Police Crime Report published in June, showed incidents of rape are on the rise in the country. Between January and May this year, around 338 rapes were reported compared to 297 reported in the same period in 2011.
    But experts say statistics may be even higher as many rape cases go unreported, despite the country having a strong legislation to protect victims of sexual violence.
    Kenya's Sexual Offences Act stipulates that a person convicted of committing rape can face a sentence of 10 years, to life in prison. But poorly handled police investigations and lax attitudes towards such complaints have led to many offenders being set free.
    Abdulmelik said raising awareness to deter sexual assault will have to involve the police.

    "There are three things that we need to do. One is we need to prevent violence in the first place from happening. Two, we need to contact the survivors and provide them with services. Number three is promoting access to justice. So I think that there is a lot of work ahead and I think that it does require all the organisations to come together, and work for the government. We don't have the option. The government is there, it exists and we know that it can be strengthened. We can use Liz as a rallying point and as a case where things do change," she said.
    The whereabouts of the Liz's attackers after they left the police station are unknown, police say, but a top aid to Kenya's police chief said an investigations are underway.
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