16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November, followed by the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, is a global moment to help #EndViolence against women and girls. Preventing this violence is possible, but only if we act together, now.

Lets UNiTE to end GBV

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), marked annually from November 25th to December 10th, is a global call to action to end violence against women and girls and a commitment to protect vulnerable individuals from gender-based harm. This year’s campaign emphasizes the need for decisive action- moving beyond awareness to dismantle systemic inequalities and ensure accountability. 

Kenya has made significant strides in addressing GBV, including the enactment of the Sexual Offences Act and the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act. Community-led initiatives and grassroots advocacy have further amplified the fight against GBV. However, the increasing cases of femicide in the country and the alarming statistics are deeply concerning. In 2023, 150 cases of femicide were reported in Kenya, according to Femicide Count Kenya. This figure only covers cases that have been reported in the media. According to a recent article by the Nation Media Group, data from the National Police Service revealed that at least 97 women have been killed in the past three months, and the systemic injustices that allow perpetrators to go unpunished highlight the long road ahead.

The fight against GBV requires more than enacting policies but rather enforcing and implementing them; it demands a united, persistent effort and investments from all stakeholders to create meaningful, lasting change; it calls for the abandonment of retrogressive social norms, harmful cultural practices and religious beliefs that normalize and perpetuate Gender-Based Violence. As a society, we must confront these persistent issues, from impunity to the lack of legal recourse. Addressing GBV requires more than a celebration of progress at every end; it demands a unified, society-wide response to ensure transformative and sustainable change.

Women and girls in Kenya experience different forms of Gender Based Violence with Intimate Partner Violence being on the lead. However, the recent rise in incidents of femicide in the country also raises serious concerns about the safety and security of women in Kenya. The statistics are alarming and highlight a grave societal issue that necessitates immediate and focused attention. Femicide is not only a crime against women - it is a grave violation of human rights and a threat to Kenya’s social fabric. Justice, for many survivors and their families, remains elusive and painfully out of reach, even in instances where perpetrators are known. This culture of impunity perpetuates violence and undermines efforts to foster a safer, equitable society.

A collective responsibility

Organizations like Oxfam are taking bold steps to combat all forms of violence through their work in advocating and influencing policies and practices at the institutional and community levels. Oxfam also strengthens the capacity of National and Grassroot Women’s Rights Organizations to prevent, respond and address different forms of GBV whilst supporting survivors to access comprehensive GBV services and community partnerships aimed at challenging harmful norms and practices that perpetuate GBV. 

Oxfam recognizes GBV as a significant contributor to the poverty and inequality experienced by women and acknowledges that tackling gender-based violence demands more than the efforts of any single entity; it necessitates a unified, society-wide response to foster lasting and meaningful change.

As a founding member of the Coalition Against Sexual Violence (CASV), Oxfam partners with like-minded institutions to address sexual violence. CASV, convened by the Wangu Kanja Foundation, aims to consolidate efforts from 15 women’s rights organizations to address sexual violence in Kenya. It was established to end sexual violence and advance human rights in Kenya through joint advocacy, awareness creation, social mobilization, resource mobilization, and building relations and partnerships. Through this platform, Oxfam works with advocacy groups like KELIN, GVRC and CREAW to influence and inspire national and institutional action to eradicate sexual violence. Key amongst recent initiatives by the coalition partners is the call on national leaders to declare Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), a national disaster and to allocate resources for forensic investigations to bring perpetrators to justice. There can never be an opportune moment to deliver on this call. This will establish a robust foundation that rallies future priorities in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.

As a coalition member, Oxfam believes CREAW's call for more resources to support duty bearers in addressing SGBV will be pivotal and an investment in eliminating the vice. The investment will aid forensic investigations to identify, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators and serve justice to survivors. 

There is also a need to protect domestic workers who are especially vulnerable to GBV, and are often working in isolation without witnesses to their abuse. The Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals, and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), an Oxfam partner in advancing the rights of domestic workers, has consistently urged the government to urgently ratify the Violence and Harassment Convention (C190) and the Domestic Workers Convention (C189). We fully back this move as it will greatly strengthen efforts to combat gender-based violence in the domestic work sector which remains neglected. Domestic workers often work in isolation in people’s homes, where abusers feel emboldened, knowing there are rarely any witnesses to their actions. Additionally, many domestic workers fear reporting abuse, worried that doing so could cost them their jobs or expose them to further violence. 

In its publication titled, ‘The Status of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Policies and Laws in Kenya’, the National Gender Equality Commission (NGEC) identified significant gaps in response to SGBV. It notes that key duty bearers have yet to exercise their mandates as prescribed fully by law. In the findings, NGEC also pointed to the lack of a register of femicide perpetrators as an obstacle to ending SGBV. The Commission reveals that Section 39 of the Sexual Offences Act requires the registrar of the High Court to keep a register and a data bank of convicted sexual offenders. 

A vision for Change

Ending GBV requires collective action from all sectors of society – government agencies, civil society, the private sector, faith-based organizations and all individuals (men and boys, women, and girls). It requires addressing the intersecting factors and root causes such as poverty, discrimination, and harmful cultural and religious practices that make certain groups more vulnerable to GBV. Strengthening accountability systems and providing comprehensive survivor support systems, are also essential steps.  

Together, through advocacy, education, and solidarity, we can envision a world where violence is no longer tolerated and where survivors receive the support they need to heal and thrive. Beyond the 16 Days of Activism, let this movement inspire a long-term commitment to justice, equality, and dignity of all.

Influencing and campaigning to impact lives

Oxfam in Kenya campaigns to change and impact the lives of the disenfranchised and poor people by investing in building wider coalitions, brokering partnerships, building national institutions and citizens capacities to hold governments to account through a collective citizen’s voice and actions.

Taxes for essential services 

In the quest for poverty alleviation and reducing the economic inequality in Kenya, one of the ultimate issues to address is the provision and accessibility of quality essential public services. To ensure all Kenyans receive quality essential public services, Oxfam  Kenya is focusing on ensuring that the government can mobilise and manage domestic resources to this end. The focus will be on ensuring the Government is mobilising sufficient domestic resources by broadening its tax base and having everyone pay their fair share of tax. By also creating citizen awareness on how to engage with their taxes, with the National and County budgets and thereafter use this knowledge to hold duty bearers to account. This will ultimately ensure that the citizens know their taxes, how they are taxed, what they are taxed on and what or how their taxes are being spent. The interventions will also look at building evidence for legislative and policy reforms. It is envisioned that ultimately citizens will take a lead in influencing the Government to provide quality public services and thereby increasing the quality of life for the poor and marginalized.

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Do you know what your taxes are doing for you? 

Oxfam in Kenya is working jointly with local CSos to empower and build awareness of citizens, particularly women and youth, to effectively influence progressive policy changes related to government revenue raising, budgeting and spending for more progressive, transparent and accountable tax and expenditure regime that contributes to reduced inequality and improved quality of life for poor, vulnerable and marginalized women and youth in Kenya.