Health CS seeks clergy support to tame violence

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe after updating the country on Covid-19 at Afya House, Nairobi on April 15, 2020.  PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Harsh economic times brought about by coronavirus have heightened stress levels.
  • Chief Justice David Maraga on April 2, noted the rise in sexual offences since March 13.
  • Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs reports that in February, 62 cases of domestic violence were reported against the 106 in March, while 50, were reported in January.
  • Families in lockdown across the world experiencing abuse with majority of victims being women and children.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has asked religious leaders to offer counselling services to families in the wake of the rise of domestic violence in the country.

Mr Kagwe while speaking during the daily Covid-19 briefing at the Ministry of Health headquarters, said the rise of domestic violence cases is worrying.

“I am appealing to our religious leaders to offer counselling to the families involved in order to help us deal with this emerging problem. This is a new challenge to our country which we hope to deal with,” said Kagwe.

The CS said the Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a new way of life that has forced couples to increasingly spend a lot of time together.

He noted that the harsh economic times brought about by the pandemic have contributed to increased stress levels, which have in return resulted to domestic violence increase.

“I am appealing to men and women not to ventilate their anger and stress on their spouses by meting violence on them,” he said.

EASTER WEEKEND

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health Chief Administrative Secretary, Dr Mercy Mwangangi said she witnessed domestic violence at home over Easter and called on Kenyans to stop the vice.

 “There is a lady who was severely beaten and really as a Ministry of Health what we are saying is now is not the time to engage in disputes," she said.

Mwangangi added the ministry is in constant communication with the Gender Violence Recovery Centre and National Council on Administration of Justice who have revealed an increase in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

Chief Justice David Maraga on April 2, also noted the rise in sexual offences since March 13, when coronavirus was first confirmed in Kenya. He said sexual offences constituted 35.8 per cent of cases recorded since then.

The Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs has reported a 42 per cent increase in the past one month.  

The Cabinet Secretary Prof Margaret Kobia while talking to Nation in a phone interview on Tuesday said that sexual abuse cases are majority of the offences reported through the GBV toll free number 1,195 managed by her ministry.

In February, 62 cases were reported against the 106 in March, she said. While 50, were reported in January.

WORLDWIDE SURGE

According to the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), about 39 per cent of women and girls aged 15 years and above have experienced some form of SGBV.

An increase in domestic violence have also been witnessed in other countries across the world. There are reports that families in lockdown are experiencing abuse with majority of victims being women and children.

Alarmed by the rise in domestic abuse, the United Nations two weeks ago, called for urgent action to combat the worldwide surge in domestic violence.

“I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic,” UN Secretary General António Guterres wrote on Twitter.

Guterres called for setting up emergency warning systems in pharmacies and groceries, and for safe ways "for women to seek support, without alerting their abusers.

"Together, we can and must prevent violence everywhere, from war zones to people’s homes, as we work to beat COVID-19," he said, as he called "for peace at home and in homes around the world."

According to Eco-Business an Asia Pacific’s leading media organisation on sustainable development, domestic violence in Asia has skyrocketed since many countries announced a lock-down to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report by Eco-Business indicates the Indonesian Women’s Association for Justice Legal Aid Institute has in the recent days, recorded a sharp increase in its caseload.

Its director Siti Mazumah said the organisation has seen a three-fold increase in referral cases from the National Commission on Violence against Women in the last two weeks since the work-from-home order. 

DISTRESSING CALLS

The scenario is no different in other parts of the Asia Pacific, with advocacy groups in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia confirming a rise in domestic violence cases.

In Singapore, the Association of Women for Action and Research says women’s helpline saw a 33 per cent increase in calls related to family violence in February compared to the same period last year.

This is in contrast to national data that shows a decline in domestic violence cases from 2016 to 2019.

In Spain, the emergency number for domestic violence received 18 per cent more calls in the first two weeks of lockdown than in the same period a month earlier.

Ana Bella who has set up a foundation to help other women after surviving domestic violence said the situation is alarming.

“We’ve been getting some very distressing calls, showing us clearly just how intense psychological as well as physical mistreatment can get when people are kept 24 hours a day together within a reduced space,” said Ana Bella.

Two weeks ago, French police reported a nationwide rise of about 30 per cent in domestic violence.

French Interior minister Mr Christophe Castaner in an interview on French television said risk increases due to confinement, and asked officers to be on the lookout for abuse.

In Italy, cases of domestic violence also began to rise after a lockdown was effected in early March.