British BBC television has collected around a hundred testimonies from women working on tea plantations in Kericho, in the west of the country.
With our correspondent in Nairobi, Albane Thirouard
More than 70 women denounced having been victims of sexual exploitation and claimed to have had no choice but to give in to their boss’s advances to obtain or keep their jobs. One of them says she was infected with HIV, while others became pregnant. An official is also accused of raping a 14-year-old girl who lived on one of the plantations. Since the publication of these revelations on Monday, the reactions are linked.
The testimonies of the women presented in the documentary provoked emotion and indignation. On Twitter, Kenyans call for justice.
The Ministry of Labor has justly announced that it has launched an investigation and taken the charges “ very seriously “. They represent, according to the press release, a violation of the law and workers’ rights “. The public prosecutor also ordered the police to open an investigation.
The case went all the way to Parliament. The Association of Women Parliamentarians in particular condemns ” the culture of rape that reigns in some Kericho tea plantations “. And asks that the alleged attackers be brought to justice. The organization emphasizes the need for a “ zero tolerance for cases of sexual harassment. While reminding the targeted multinationals of their responsibility to uphold the human rights of their employees.
The documentary points the finger at two British firms: Lipton Teas and Infusions (Unilever at the time of filming), and James Finlay. The latter replied, saying that there was no place for this kind of behavior in the company. And announced that it had dismissed two managers mentioned in the documentary.
The British High Commissioner to Kenya, Jane Marriott, also reacted to the BBC revelations. On Twitter, she said to herself, worried by accusations of appalling behavior made in the documentary “, recalling that” sexual abuse and exploitation had no place in our society “.