[Photo courtesy: White Ribbon Alliance Kenya]
The government has been urged to defend the rights and freedoms of women and girls from the grassroots level to compliment the efforts made by different groups in the society, including religious institutions.
This was the clarion call during the Annual Action Network Summit by The White Ribbon Alliance Kenya when it convened atleast 18 grassroots organizations that champions for women reproductive, maternal, and newborn health and rights, themed “Igniting Grassroots Action for Women, Girls & Newborn Health”.
Speaking to the press, Eve Merin of EnkaKenya Sidai (Asubuhi Njema), an organization based in Kajiado county, accused the government of lackluster in enforcing the set rules that defend women and girls from social vices including female genital mutilation, femicides and gender based violence, targeting women and girls
According to Eve Sidai, the efforts of her organization, the church and other women advocacy groups will not materialize if the government fails to honor their end of the bargain
Director and founder of Destiny Rescue Center, Florence Mwangi, that handles adolescents and teen mothers called for a framework that will rehabilitate the young mothers back to the society.
This, as she hailed the White Ribbon Alliance for assisting the grassroots organization for bridging the gap between policy makers and the communities.
”We train them on mental health, sexual reproductive health, and any other thing that we feel that there is a gap. Above all, it is trying to bridge to the gaps that are there among decision making organs and make sure that girls voices are heard where they cannot reach.” Mwangi stated.
Through the White Ribbon Alliance, she stated, Destiny Rescue Center has been able champion women and girls rights in almost every county in Kenya, especially in the rural areas.
The White Ribbon Alliance Program officer Odhiambo Odera noted that the alliance is on course to enforce better policies and legislations that will curtail the ills meted upon women in rural settings
To achieve this, Odera noted that the alliance has been holding accountability forums from the grassroots with women, local leaders and community members to put the policy makers on their toes.
”Then from that, we advance to the county level, where we engage the county teams and discuss on policy issues that there exist gaps, for example, Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) which is not being implemented in many healthcare facilities and centers.” Odera highlighted.
According to FGM/C research initiative, the spirited efforts by grassroots organization, there has been a significant reduction of prevalence of FGM/C in Kenya from 37.6% of women aged 15–49 in 1998 to 21% in 2014 to 14.8 in 2021.
White Ribbon Alliance Kenya (WRA Kenya) is a people-led movement for reproductive, maternal, and newborn health and rights. The organization advocates for women’s and girls’ voices and demands to lead change at the local, national, and regional levels and contribute to shaping the global reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (RMNH) agenda.