Makueni trains 500 men, women to fight SGBV

Chiefs, village elders and county officials equipped on monitoring, documenting and reporting SGBV
Makueni trains 500 men, women to fight SGBV

What you need to know:

  • County trains 540 men and women to champion the fight against Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
  • The SGBV champions in the county are the first people to respond to such cases.
  • Makueni recently launched a safe house for both male and women SGBV survivors.
  • County has also rolled out kitchen gardening initiative for women across the county.

Makueni County has trained 540 men and women to champion the fight against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).

Deputy governor Adelina Mwau said the champions, who include assistant chiefs, village elders and county administrators have been equipped on effective monitoring, documenting and reporting of SGBV.

“They are the SGBV champions in the county and they are the first people to respond to such cases,” she said during a June 24 Conversation on Safe Spaces in Kenya in the Midst of Covid-19 webinar organised by Equality Now.

The county recently launched a safe house for both male and women SGBV survivors, becoming the first county known to independently run such a facility.

Survivors without an immediate secure place to stay will be housed at the safe house for 14 days. They receive treatment and counselling during their stay and they are expected to decide on whether to return to their homes or not after the two weeks.

WATER HARVESTING

Ms Mwau said they have also rolled out kitchen gardening initiative for women across the county. The scheme, she said, is aimed at improving their livelihoods.

She added that they provide the women with water harvesting systems so that they can grow vegetables throughout the year for subsistence and commercial use.

SGBV Program Coordinator in Nairobi Metropolitan Services Roselyne Mkabana, said they have secured a piece of land for construction of a safe house in the city.

She said the county currently has 10 charity-run shelters for sexually abused children, which host them for only 14 days.

“Often, the case will not have finalised after the 14 days and you cannot take the survivor back to the abuser. So we find ourselves asking them (charities) to continue holding the survivors,” she said.

Ms Mkabana said they plan to offer survivors longer accommodation at the county-run safe house and release them only when they are sure of their safety.