By Wanjala Wafula*
Violence against women and girls in Kenya,
as it is in other parts of the world, is a result of profound social systems
that maintain, advance and proliferate it. Patriarchy, and the entire negative
socialization process of men that leads to negative masculinity remain ever
present due to traditions and culture. These cultural expressions in Kenya
have made the bodies of women and girls the battlefields of the nation’s men.
We
are a nation that condones violence against women demonstrating
our link between male supremacy and culture. We are a nation that is
swiftly turning to organized criminal gangs like the Mungiki, Zungu Zungu and
the Baghdad boys to enforce
economic and political interests despite the fact that they raped and maimed
thousands of women during the 2007 post election violence. And now when an
International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into crimes against humanity
committed by various Kenyan leaders through their orchestration of criminal gangs
and state security agents is underway, the political elite, obviously to
protect their interests as they were behind the violence, is demonizing it.
Brutal expressions of masculinity are widespread. In 2010, a Future Concern report
revealed that violence against women affects one in three women in Kenya.
This is a staggering statistic. A currentWorld Bank report affirms that women
between the ages of 15 and 44 in Kenya
are at a greater risk of experiencing rape or violence than having cancer, and
malaria, and dieing in a war or car accidents. Experts continue to caution that
the militarism present in Kenyan society has a direct correlation with
violence against women and men who do not conform to its negative
masculinity connotations.
While many argue that there is need to bring together women, peace, and
human rights movements to challenge militarism in Kenya,
I believe that the movement will not succeed without including men and boys.
Men and boys are the custodians of the social and cultural structures that
allow violence and discrimination to continue. While key instruments that
guarantee the safety and security of women including the new constitution exist
in Kenya, levels of violence against women continue to rise as does the
influence and prevalence of the military, hence confirming the need to target
men and boys as key stakeholders in eliminating violence against women and
girls.
Sexual violence is widespread in conflict zones in Kenya,
for example the cattle rustling prone areas of Turkana, Kuria, Baringo, Mandera
and Wajir. Gang brawls in informal settlements in urban centers are becoming
bloodier each day and the targeting of women and children is a worrying trend.
Abduction, carjacking and kidnappings are on the increase with the recent
police report confirming that more than ten kidnappings take place each week
and that women and children are the most targeted. Violence against women in Kenya
is also as a result of the availability of small arms thanks to its proximity
to war ravaged Somalia, Northern
Uganda, and Southern Sudan (now independent).
In a nutshell this is happening because the masculine construction as it
is in Kenya
equates manhood with the ability to exert power over others, especially through
the use of force. Masculinity, as it is espoused, gives manpower to control the
lives of those around him, especially women and girls, and the most manly way
to exert control and demonstrate superiority and male prowess is through sexual
violence. As a result sexual violence remains the main hurdle to women’s
security as its effects are physically, psychologically, and socially
detrimental.
The need to work with men and boys as key partners in the fight against
gender based violence and other human rights issues at the local and national
levels is greater now than ever before. New mechanisms aimed at enhancing
collaboration and the exchange of analyses, tools, techniques and strategies to
combat violence against women and the ever-present militaristic inclinations
must be developed and employed.
To the men of Kenya
it’s time to demonstrate solidarity with women and girls around the country and
in deed the world as a whole. As men, its time we redefine gender-based
violence as a women’s issue, it is not, it is a human rights issue, and human
rights violations concern all of us!
*Wanjala Wafula is Programs Director of The Coexist
Initiative, a not for profit synergy of men and
boys community-based organizations committed to eliminating all forms of Gender
Based Violence, foster HIV prevention and AIDS management in Kenya.
We
are a nation that condones violence against women demonstrating
our link between male supremacy and culture. We are a nation that is
swiftly turning to organized criminal gangs like the Mungiki, Zungu Zungu and
the