Okong’o Oduya
Busia County, Kenya: Kangaroo courts have been reported as the biggest threat towards access to justice for Gender-Based Violence ( GBV) victims in Busia County.
According to Mary Makokha, director of the Rural Empowerment Education Program (REEP) in Busia, many GBV cases are hardly reported because of tradition that undermines justice to the victims.
Addressing the media during the flagging off of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign challenge in Busia; Makokha noted that most of the women who are mistreated by their husbands don’t report the cases for fear of being stigmatized for exposing family issues by the community.
“We have a lot of GBV cases go unreported in this county. This is because most of these cases are handled locally through kangaroo courts.” I would wish to encourage the affected persons, especially women and children, to come out and report these cases to help us stop these cases.”
“For a long time, GBV cases have been associated with tradition. Mothers and children are mistreated but because of tradition, they can’t report. It is high time we come out and stop this issue of kangaroo courts in handling GBV related cases. Even if the father or the brother is the one involved in defiling the minor, let the mother come out and report,” she noted.
According to her as an organization they have recorded 13, 844 cases of women and children were raped in Busia county for the last 22 years, adding that the first recorded incident of rape in 1998.
She called upon the community in Busia to desist from culture and traditions that contribute to the increase of violence in the community.
She urged the stakeholders in Busia to construct safe houses and centers that will offer counseling services and help to those affected by gender-based violence in the county.
Since March this year, Makokha said they have recorded 103 cases of girls rescued from early marriages, 86 cases of early pregnancies, and 64 cases of defilement attributing it to idleness and people staying at home as a result of COVID-19.
A kangaroo Court is an unofficial court held by a group of people in order to try someone regarded, especially without good evidence, as guilty of a crime or misdemeanor.
Similarly, Matayos Deputy County Commissioner, Kipchumba Ruto warned members of the public to stop hiding the GBV perpetrators adding that the security personnel will work closely with the stakeholder such as organizations to put to end the menace.
“We must respond as quickly as possible to stop more violence in our community. We are calling upon all stakeholders to participate in this exercise to create public awareness and report any incidence of gender violence in our community. Those who will be found committing the offense must be reported to the police, be prosecuted by the court, and be convicted to put to end the problem. Men in most cases are violated with their wives but they fail to report because of the stigmatization from the community this must stop,” he said.
According to him, the coronavirus outbreak has led to an increase in violence to most of the families as a result of people being at home not just in Busia, promising to protect the victims.
Consolata Ojwang, a clinical officer at Ampath, advised those violated to report to the police as soon as they are violated to ease up the process of bringing to the books the perpetrators adding that in the process of seeking help they also provide medical services to the victims to prevent them from getting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
