By Nontobeko Mlambo and Serah Nderi
Johannesburg and Nairobi — The 16 Days of Activism of No Violence Against Women and Children – an international campaign to challenge and bring an end to violence – has just ended, but the work is only beginning.
At the start of the campaign, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, said: “If I could have one wish granted, it might well be a total end to rape. That means a significant weapon of war gone from the arsenal of conflict, the absence of a daily risk assessment for girls and women in public and private spaces, the removal of a violent assertion of power, and a far-reaching shift for our society.”
By the end of the 16 Days, Mlambo-Ngcuka expressed her shock at how the violence against women and children continued unabated during the campaign, vowing that: “Today, as we end 16 days of activism, I concur that we are not stopping the work for 365 days. We will work every day because every day a woman dies so who are we to rest.”
The reality in South Africa is one faced by 45.6% of women on the continent, 15 years and older – the highest prevalence in the world, according to this report, to have experienced intimate partner violence physical and/or sexual or non-partner sexual violence or both.
The statistics for Kenya? More than 40% of women experience lifetime physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, which is why In October, Kenya held its first 2019 National Gender Based Violence Conference to discuss how the country can move to zero gender-based violence (GBV).
According to Mum’s Village, one of the ideas that stood out in that gathering is the gaps in the processes and systems handling prevention and tackling GBV, as well as gaps in reporting, case management, responses, prosecution and the involvement of men.
The Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014 found that 39% of married women and 9% of men aged 15 to 49 had experienced spousal, physical or sexual violence attributes the gaps to systems that aren’t strong enough, writes Serah Nderi for Mum’s Village.
