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Gender Desk Archives - CREAWKENYA

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BlogStories from the field

Safeguarding the dignity of survivors of sexual and gender based violence

April 22, 2022by CREAW

Corporal Paul Kamau Mwangi, is a police officer at Nairegi Enkare police station in Narok county, who is a crimes and investigations officer that deals with cases of Gender based Violence (GBV). The broad smile on his face and warm reception is one key element in helping survivors of GBV feel comfortable around him hence easily opening up. However, this was never the case before.

Corporal Kamau has been part of a group of police officers trained by CREAW on handling GBV cases, collection of exhibits and preparation of charge sheets for cases.

“Before we would write charge sheets that were not very clear to the DPP hence hampering the investigation process hence denying justice for the survivors of GBV,” Confirms corporal Kamau.

Globally, 1 in every 3 women face some form of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in their lifetime. In Kenya, data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey shows that 45% of women and girls face a form of gender based violence annually.

CREAW in partnership with UN Trust Fund has supported the development of a tool for professionally documenting cases, collecting data, keying it into a system and analyzing it.

Ever since the trainings, Kamau acknowledges to have never lost a case on grounds  of technicality. The rate of convictions increased since they were able to present watertight evidence against perpetrators.

“One such case of a man who defiled a young girls and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In 2021, we had 7 cases in court which are running smoothly with no interference and we hope for a favourable ruling,”

Frequent transfer of police officers from one location to the other, has been one major challenge that Oldonyiro OCS Gilbert Maiyo notes that has been hindering the strengthening of Gender Desks officers.

“It’s imperative to keep on training more officers on matters GBV so as to have a larger population of officers knowledgeable on the topic. As an officer, you can specialize on cases of GBV but need a formidable team to work with, that is equally empowered,” confirms Maiyo.

According to Corporal Kamau, the leading cases of GBV in Nairegi Enkare is Intimate Partner Violence, where out of 60 cases they prosecuted in 2021, more than 20 women were complainants, who reported being assaulted by their spouses. This is closely followed by defilement and rape.

Miles away in Isiolo County, Corporal Benard Omoit has been at the forefront of protecting women and girls. He leads the gender and children protection desk at the Isiolo Police Station. As for Omoit, he attributes a tremendous improvement on handling of GBV cases to training, as well as attending sessions in Court Users Committee (CUC) with various service providers.

“ The committee comprises of various stakeholders in the justice system. That is where we normally meet and iron out hitches and focus on how best we can collaborate and support survivors of GBV access justice,” narrates Omoit.

Thanks to the training, corporal Omoit championed for a specialized Gender Desk that was separated from the crimes and reporting desk, which gave the clients the much needed confidentiality and dignity while reporting vices meted against them.

“As stakeholders, we have been able to reach out to the community through advocacy to break the fear of police by community members hence rebuilding that confidence in the forces,” adds Omoit.

According to a United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, less than 1 in 10 women who seek help after experiencing violence turn to the police, and only a minority of cases of gender-based violence are ever formally reported to the police, with even fewer cases resulting in convictions.

It is to this end that CREAW in partnership with UN Trust Fund, sought to train police officers on sexual and gender based violence cases, so as to protect the dignity of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence by ensuring confidentiality, respect and safety during reporting of cases, as well as collect data on local SGBV trends and use these for effective interventions to advocate for the reduction in the number of SGBV cases. For corporal Kamau and Omoit, these efforts are funning their flame in championing for access to justice for survivors of SGBV as they mentor their fellow police in the crusade.

 

 

 

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Haki Yetu, Jukumu LetuStories from the fieldSuccess Stories

Female police officers work to end GBV

April 9, 2018by CREAW0

We meet Caren Ruto at the Nchiiru Police Station and she quickly usher us in to the Gender Desk office and offers us seats with a warm smile and gentle spirits; a gesture that takes away the distress and stress that is usually associated with visiting a police station.

Caren Ruto supports survivors of gender based violence at the Nchiiru Police Station. PHOTO CREAW/ Christine Ogutu

The Gender Desk office is unique and one is quick to notice the walls which are neatly painted in white; the walls come alive with informational posters designed to provide useful information on gender based violence referral pathways to the survivors who visit the office for help.
Caren is among the 38 police officers from Meru County who were trained on GBV related laws and efficient handling of GBV cases with an aim to equip them with the necessary skills to properly document and store evidence from the first point of reporting or initial contact to ensuring the survivors get appropriate response in the referral system.
“After the trainings I came back and shared the information with fellow officers who are now more sensitive to the survivors of GBV. Through that, the male officers manning the reception desk now refer survivors to the gender desk for help. Previously, survivors would come but shy away from reporting,” she notes.
A few kilometers away in Kariene, resides Susan Achieng; a police Copral whose work also bore resemblance to that of Caren. Both of them are charged with the duty of supporting GBV survivors at the police gender desks in their respective stations.
For Susan, her duties go beyond the call of office; she has taken it upon herself to create awareness on GBV issues among communities living in Munjwa Village, Imenti Central Sub-County. “It is my duty to let the communities know what I do in the gender desk as police officer; I work for the general public. And if they do not know what I do then I think I am not well placed,” she says
Copral Susan Achieng works with chiefs to create awareness on GBV in Kariene. PHOTO CREAW/Christine Ogutu

At the village level she works with the local administration structures like Chiefs to organize community Barazas that bring on board men and women from across the villages. Chiefs are well known at the community level and are often the first point of referral to GBV cases.
“When we go to the community we discuss the sexual offences that occur including all the other forms of GBV like FGM and Domestic Violence. I have a village that is prone to defilements and rape that we are working to increase vigilance and bring perpetrators to book as well as make communities understand that such crimes are against the law and should not be solved out of court,” Susan explains.
She adds: “We tell them what to do when affected by sexual offence and how they can report. Some survivors keep quiet because of the stigma associated with rape, defilement and domestic violence.”
She says at first she was just a normal police officer but when CREAW came on board and organized for trainings for police officers stationed in Meru County she came to understand the importance of going to the in-depths when investigating GBV cases to have solid evidence for successful prosecution.
“We have what is called Tamman where we come together as officers to discuss the emerging issues and the needed response. I shared what I had learnt with them and the reaction was positive. They were eager to learn and wanted to know more,”
Even though her advocacies in the community continue to gain momentum; Susan expresses concern over the lack of safe shelters for the survivors of gender based violence that has forced her to sometime stay with the survivors to protect them from repeated attacks.
Through the Haki Yetu, Jukumu Letu (Our rights, our responsibility) initiative anchored within the Access to Justice program, the Center for Rights, Education and Awareness (CREAW) has been working to strengthen the capacity of police officers to effectively investigate and prosecute offenders. The trainings targets police officers who mans the gender desks and crime office with an aim to enhance their knowledge and skills on documentation, proper storage and handling of GBV exhibits as well as proper ways to create networks and linkages in the grassroots and with key actors working on the prevention and response to gender based violence in the larger Meru County.

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