From: WUNRN_LISTSERVE-owner@lists.wunrn.com
on behalf of WUNRN LISTSERVE <wunrn1@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2015 7:22 AM
To: WUNRN ListServe
Subject: [WUNRN] Kenya - Justice for Liz in Horrific Gang Rape
Case
WUNRN
Kenya Court Ruling Delivers Justice for Rape Victim Liz
KENYA
Breaking News from Kimberly Brown, Legal Consultant, Equality Now – Via Brendan
Wynne, Equality Now
April 13, 2015 -
Justice has finally been served for a girl who was gang-raped and left for dead
in Busia County, Western Kenya in June 2013. 16-year- old Liz’s pursuit
for justice has been supported by almost two million people globally and has exposed the
cracks in a system, where prosecutions are few and far between and cases are
riddled with complex challenges to overcome. The verdict was initially
due to be presented last Friday, but one of the accused did not appear in
court. On Saturday he was arrested by the authorities and this morning,
judgment was given. The three accused were convicted on both counts
and jailed for 15 years.
Equality Now works
to ensure justice for adolescent
girls
by supporting legal cases like Liz’s, which represent some of the most common
and significant abuses of the rights of girls around the world. In
helping to change the life of one girl, we also build pressure to push for
meaningful and lasting systemic change.
“Today’s sentencing is sure to have a
ripple effect across the nation, and hopefully the region at large. Negative
cultural attitudes towards women, as well as the fear and stigma associated
with such crimes, make reporting of cases a daunting and often impossible
task. An estimated 19 out of 20 rapes in Kenya
are not reported and are therefore unpunished. Equally troubling, the
national number of defilement cases in Kenyan courts nearly doubled last year.
The fact that Liz’s case took so long to reach this point –
and still faced serious obstacles despite strong national and global support –
illustrates the injustices that are still suffered by survivors in a criminal
justice system in transition. While Kenya boasts one of the most
progressive legal and policy frameworks for addressing sexual violence, Liz’s
case and countless others have revealed significant failures of local
authorities to adequately address sexual violence.
If a victim manages to overcome the
huge initial hurdle and manages to report what happened, apathy or a lack of
knowledge of laws, policies and procedures by officials, and the continued lack
of resources, mean that cases are often handled poorly from the outset.
In Liz’s case, three of the six perpetrators are also still at large, although
it has been a year since arrest warrants were issued. Sensitive treatment
of survivors of sexual violence is also almost universally lacking.
Liz’s case, and the failure of local
authorities to adequately address sexual violence, drew national and
international attention to Busia County. However, her case – as well as
the dozens of others that Equality Now has helped
bring to the fore from Western Kenya – are only the tip of the iceberg.
The sheer scale of sexual violence in schools, communities and its general
acceptability in society is astounding.
Liz has finally
gotten justice and her case will hopefully continue to be a wake-up call for
all. We hope that it can also be used to highlight the gaps in policies
and procedures. Authorities must be held accountable and we must continue
to push for safe environments for girls, where sexual violence is not tolerated
and is punished to the fullest extent of the law.
There is potential too to use knowledge gained from this case to help clarify the role of special prosecutors and intermediaries, and to better protect survivors of sexual violence during the entire legal process. There is also an opportunity now to learn from best practice and to push for further implementation of the law and the bolstering of systems which protect the rights of Kenyan girls and women.”
http://www.equalitynow.org/demand_justiceforliz
Kenya – JusticeForLiz
|
Young protester
at a Justice for Liz rally in Kenya. |
24 June, 2014 - While returning
home from a funeral in Kenya in late June 2013, 16-year-old Liz was brutally
gang raped & thrown, unconscious & battered, down a pit latrine. Three
of the suspects were caught, but, astonishingly, the police recorded the attack
as a mere ‘assault’ & released the assailants after having them cut the
police station grass as “punishment.” Liz, who developed obstetric fistula
& is now incontinent, has been unable to return to school & is
receiving counseling.
Almost
a year later, after a global campaign amassed more than 1.7 million signatures
demanding #JusticeForLiz, little progress has been made. The authorities
initially took notice, and in a press release earlier this year the Office of
the Director of Public Prosecutions issued assurances that Liz’s case would
proceed to court without further delay. However, to date five of the six
suspects have not been arrested despite reports from the area that their
whereabouts are known. Further, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority
has not yet released their investigative report on the allegations of egregious
professional misconduct by police officers handling this case, and no lawful
action has been taken to address the police failures in this case. The
Inspector General of Police, who admitted to erroneously “arbitrating” the
case, engaged in victim-blaming & attacks on Liz’s credibility.
Liz’s
case drew national and international attention to Busia County and the failures
of the local authorities to adequately address sexual violence. The evidence in
Busia in is very compelling, and highlights the prevalence of sexual violence
plaguing women and girls, and the tremendous obstacles encountered at every
stage of the criminal justice process. There are dozens if not hundreds of cases
that underscore just how dire the situation has become.
Much
more must be done to protect Kenya’s women and girls from sexual violence and
to ensure timely access to justice for all survivors. Tragically Liz’s
experience is commonplace in Kenya, where 1 in 5 women will experience sexual
violence in their lifetime. Such crimes are not taken seriously, authorities
frequently blame & challenge victims & justice is delayed and/or
denied. Therefore, please join Equality Now and our partners through the Solidarity
for African Women's Rights (SOAWR) Coalition - COVAW, FIDA-Kenya, FEMNET,
Fahamu and IPAS - today in calling on Kenyan officials to ensure justice for
Liz & the proper investigation & prosecution of all crimes of sexual
violence.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
========================
- To contact the list administrator, send a message to
WUNRN_LISTSERVE-owner@lists.wunrn.com
- To unsubscribe send a message to: imail@lists.wunrn.com, with the message:
unsubscribe WUNRN_LISTSERVE