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

http://www.wunrn.com

 

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

http://www.equalitynow.org/sites/default/files/justice_for_liz_rally_web_400x219.jpg

Young protester at a Justice for Liz rally in Kenya. 
Photo courtesy of COVAW.

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