Keep Her Safe

About the project

Kenya is committed to ending all forms of gender-based violence and has a strong policy and legislative framework in support of that commitment, including the 2021 ‘Roadmap to advancing gender equality, ending all forms of gender-based violence and female genital mutilation by 2026’. 

Despite these efforts, Kisumu County experiences high rates of sexual violence, particularly against children. Many survivors face stigma, intimidation, and a lack of safe spaces, often living with their abusers. While the Kisumu County SGBV Policy (2019) outlines a framework for addressing these issues, its implementation has been hindered by inadequate resources and political will.  

Project partners, C-FAGHS, will foster greater collaboration among key actors in sexual violence case management, bringing them together with civil society and survivors of sexual violence to address challenges faced in survivors’ quest for justice and to strengthen the implementation of the Kisumu County SGBV Policy.

This will be achieved by: 

• Convening 50 community dialogue forums to educate citizens on the Kisumu County SGBV Policy. 
• Hosting 10 moot court events to demonstrate the roles of justice actors in sexual violence cases. 
• Facilitating engagement between survivors of sexual violence and criminal justice actors to address barriers to justice and propose solutions. 
• Advocating for increased funding through dialogues with the County Assembly’s Budget and Finance Committee. 
• Using community participatory and educative theatre to engage citizens and promote collective action. 

As a result of the project, it is hoped that survivors of sexual violence in Kisumu County will have access to a more supportive environment with better-coordinated services, improved access to justice, and increased availability of safe spaces. Advocacy efforts will enhance public understanding of the Kisumu County SGBV Policy and the roles of justice actors, empower citizens to hold duty bearers accountable and secure additional funding for policy implementation.