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NAIROBI, United States (February 23, 2009) - Thousands of women and girls who were sexually assaulted and raped during the post-election mayhem that ravaged Kenya one year ago are still waiting for justice and compensation from the authorities. A year later, only four rape cases have been brought to justice and no one has been convicted so far.
Although a power-sharing agreement was signed last year on February 27, 2008, that effectively put an end to the ethnic-driven fighting in the aftermath of the 2007 national elections, many people continue to suffer from the impacts of the violence that left at least 1,300 killed and more than 600,000 displaced.
"Women who were raped did not immediately report this crime for fear of being stigmatized in their communities or chased out of their homes by angry husbands," explains Ellyjoy Karimi, project officer for CARE in Kenya. "There was also fear of reprisal from the perpetrators, many of whom are still out and about or are men in uniforms."
Rape is often used as a weapon of war during conflict and Kenya one year ago was no exception. According to the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya, the actual number of rapes committed during post election violence last year is likely to total over 3,000.
CARE, in collaboration with the Kenya Gender Commission and the UN agency UNIFEM, collected more than 300 testimonies of women who were raped in the post-election period and presented them to the Commission of Inquiry investigating crimes committed during this time. Of the 300 testimonies collected by CARE, 60 of them reported rapes committed by members of the General Service Unit (GSU), a Special Forces unit of the Kenyan military.
CARE staff, along with other members of civil society, testified on behalf of the women in front of the Commission of Inquiry chaired by Judge Philip Waki. This joint effort resulted in the inclusion of a specific chapter dedicated to Sexual Violence (Chapter 6) in the final report produced by the Commission, also known as the Waki Report.
"In the process of documenting rape cases, what became clear was that women and girls were often raped regardless of their ethnic background," explains Karimi, who led the CARE team in establishing community reporting centers and ensuring access for survivors to essential medical and legal services. "Women of all ages and backgrounds were raped by angry men, including members of law enforcement agencies, who behaved like animals on the prowl."
One year later, the psychological effects of these traumas are still haunting many women. Janet, a resident of the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, was gang raped in front of her 20-year-old son by four young men, notorious neighborhood thugs, who were recruited by militias during the post-election violence.
"To this day, I am afraid to go for an HIV test," she admits while recounting her story to other women survivors. Janet, who is visibly shaken and has difficulty recollecting the details of the day she was assaulted, says that she also lost her small business as a result of the burning and looting that occurred after the disputed elections. She is now struggling to make ends meet while her only son is chasing day jobs as a casual laborer.
CARE and its local partners have established a referral network for reported rape cases to ensure that they are handled comprehensively and that clients receive a package of essential services, including legal assistance and psychosocial support. Through savings and loans groups, CARE is also addressing the women's need to set up new income generating activities.
Unfortunately, the road to justice is still uphill.
UPDATE: Reuters:
Kenya Officials Should go Over Killings: UNRead more about CARE's work in Kenya during the post-election crisis.
:
New York: Rick Perera, CARE,
rperera@care.org, +1.212.803.2905, +1.404.457.4649
Nairobi: Bea Spadacini, CARE,
spadacini@ci.or.ke, +254.(0).725.22.10.36
