Men Step up War on SGBV in the Coast; Champions Advise

By Harrison Kivisu

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

The war on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) has taken a new impetus in Mombasa and Kilifi counties after a group of ‘male champions’ have decided to take the fight against the vice head on.

Men have been cited as the major perpetrators of the triple threats: SGBV, teenage pregnancy and HIV infections, but in the two counties they are now changing the narrative through advocacy campaigns.

The group of men dubbed ‘Male Champions’ forms a cohort of trained _Nyumba_ _Kumi_ village elders, religious leaders, police, traditional leaders, bodaboda operators and young boys in school and out of school drawn from areas.

After acquiring skills through training by dream Achievers Youth Organization (DAYO) the male champions have now been tasked with reporting, sensitizing and referring cases reported within their villages.

Andrew Migwi, one of the frontliners from Maweni in Mombasa, says that cases of GBV have continued to torment men who are unwilling to come out and report.

Migwi hopes with the intervention of fellow men taking the lead, a number of GBV survivors who are suffering in silence should come out openly since they have created a safe space for them to report comfortably.

“One of the challenges is that some men who are suffering in silence do not want to speak up, we are hoping we will reach them and help, we also want to ensure we educate the community to know the need of reporting any GBV violations,” he says in an interview.

Wycliffe Shivachi, a member of the Bodaboda sector is a male champion who leads the campaign in Kilifi South, and with the denting image of the Bodaboda sector he hopes to zero-rate cases allegedly perpetrated by his member group.

“We have sensitised members of the Bodaboda sector, they are labeled as among the perpetrators of the SGBV vice, especially teen pregnancies, this is not the case, want to debunk that narrative and make it something of the past,” said Shivachi.

Shivachi, who has a pool of peer educators in his group, says they will traverse the entire Kilifi County advocating for an endon SGBV.

Although the male champions have decried  prolonged or delayed justice of SGBV related cases, lack of safe houses, some cases being solved within family circles and  logistics challenges to reach victims on interior parts of their villages, this has had an effect on dealing with the vice.

According to him the group has vowed to collaborate with relevant authorities to make their dreams true of ending SGBV reality.

“Now that we have been trained on technology like SGBV, we will ensure the knowledge is dispensed to our people we sensitise in the communities with emerging technologies, perpetrators are also improving their ways of doing it,” he added. 

Latest statistics indicate that Kilifi Subcounty has 47 per cent cases of child marriages, 13 per cent cases of teen pregnancies, rape and defilement at seven per cent while intimate partner violence at 38 per cent.

James Julo, one of the victims of GBV as he grew up in Kilifi, says his mission is to make a mark in the society through his advocacy.

Julo who has albinism disability says his situation will not deter him from changing the society.

“I have seen this gender based violence happened within my circles as I grew up, it’s something I can’t wish to see it happening. With the knowledge impacted on me by DAYO, I want to stamp authority and be counted as a change maker,” he says.

DAYO, through its Wezesha Project, is implementing in parts of Mombasa and Kilifi counties through imparting knowledge and refresher training of the male champions on Technology-Facilitated GBV and Mental Wellness.

This training will equip them with skills for sensitising the community on GBV prevention, response, and referral pathways using community platforms like chief barazas, churches, mosques and sports.

The training involved technology facilitated SGBV, legal procedures and protocols leading to prosecution, men and boys mental health, mediation tactics only for non-criminal cases among others.

“One of our strategies includes male engagement through sports and online radio, with funding from our partners, this focuses on sensitizing the community on GBV prevention, response, and referral pathways using community platforms like chief barazas, churches, mosques and sports,” said Susan Lankisa, Wezesha project coordinator.

She acknowledges the importance of men leading the campaign so that they can increase advocacy among fellow men so that they can come and report violations against themselves. 

Gender-based violence in men mostly causes negative consequences such as broken marriages and alcohol and substance abuse. 

The impact can be fatal, reduce productivity and also lead to poverty related situations.

“It’s therefore important that the government ensures full implementation of the legal frameworks and policy in addressing GBV in Kenya as stipulated in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,” she says.

In Kenya, around 18 per cent of males have reported violence and it’s something that hasn’t been given greater attention as compared to women.

Most men prefer to keep silent about their issues as compared to women, who tend to let it out to friends and relatives thus making their mental stability more positive.

The official called on the government to increase the number of safe houses for victims of SGBV abuse, stating that the limited number compromising the efforts by players to zero rate he vice.

Mombasa County has only one GBV Rescue Centre in Maugunja which serves as a home for the victims of sexual and domestic abuse.

The Maunguja Resource and GBV Centre incorporates all the survivors of sexual and gender based abuse in the county as they find their way in pursuit of justice.

“One of the challenges we have is shortage of safe houses for GBV survivors, we are calling on the government to increase them to ease the burden and ensure Zero rating of the vice,” Susan added.

Medi reports indicate that Mombasa county statistics reveal that a total of 5,350 registered cases of physical and emotional violence and 866 cases of sexual violence have been recorded with many more going unreported due to stigma and societal pressure.