The Kenyan election campaign was “marked by violence against women”, warn FIDH (the International Federation for Human Rights) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), three days of the presidential election of August 9. The two NGOs are concerned to have seen an increase in cases of verbal attacks, harassment and also rape.
With our correspondent in Nairobi, Florence Morice
The two NGOs say they have documented “ several cases of rape ” during the campaign of which “ four on June 19 on the sidelines of a meeting that was finally canceled. They lamented that despite his ” promises », the government does not take, according to them, the necessary measures to fight against this recurring problem during the election period in Kenya.
During the violence that followed the 2017 election, the National Human Rights Commission documented 201 cases of sexual and gender-based violence, more than half of which, according to it, involved security forces, but ” to date, no action has been taken by the government to ensure justice for the victims “say the NGOs.
Women candidates are not spared: “ confronted with aggressive sexist remarks “, and ” online abuse » including « sexual harassment “, always according to the two organizations which see tactics “ knowingly deployed to prevent women ” of ” actively participate in the country’s politics “.
Last month, UN experts also urged Kenyan authorities to ” ensure that women – whether voters or candidates – can participate freely in the electoral process without discrimination, harassment or fear of violence.