Update
Kenyan national forum against sexual and gender-based violence
30 June 2016
30 June 2016 30 June 2016A national forum of women living with HIV and women’s leaders was convened in Nairobi, Kenya, on 28 and 29 June to discuss sexual and gender-based violence, especially against women living with HIV.
Participants at the national forum, supported by the United Nations Development Programme and the national network of people living with HIV, in partnership with the National AIDS Control Council and UNAIDS, recognized the slow progress in realizing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Kenya.
The forum called for greater protection from, and response to, sexual and gender-based violence, including access to justice. The HIV and AIDS Tribunal of Kenya—the only HIV-specific statutory body in the world—was cited as a model that could be used to accelerate access to justice. It aims to protect and promote the rights of people living with and affected by HIV in Kenya by increasing access to justice. The forum participants agreed to engage with the tribunal to seek redress and information on preventing violence, especially against women living with HIV.
The forum stressed the importance of holding the government accountable for the implementation of policies and guidelines to protect women from violence, a significant driver of new infections among women and adolescent girls.
Gender-based violence is a global health challenge—women who experience violence are more likely to acquire HIV and women living with HIV are more likely to be subjected to violence.
Quotes
“We need to break the silence on gender-based violence; when situations define you, then they confine you. When we break the silence, we disempower the abuser.”
“I challenge you, women leaders, to harness your power and find solutions to our problems and identify actions for the future. Women need to act as a collective entity to address and respond to sexual and gender-based violence.”
"It is unacceptable that girls and women living with HIV continue to experience sexual and gender-based violence. We must accelerate our efforts towards gender equality and women empowerment through the HIV response, as called for by the 2016 Political Declaration."
“The HIV tribunal should be decentralized to the county level, and their decisions documented.”
