Rights defenders say economic pressure forces GBV survivors to drop cases
Grassroots defenders in Nairobi's informal settlements say gender-based violence survivors often withdraw cases because they rely on their abusers for money. A Nairobi workshop also warned that online abuse of women is rising, The Star reported.
Many gender-based violence (GBV) survivors in Nairobi's informal settlements drop their cases because they depend on their abusers for money. Women human rights defenders told The Star that some survivors withdraw on the eve of a verdict and return to the abuser. Damaris Nyahondo works with teen mothers and survivors under 24 through the Young Resilient Advocacy Network in Mathare. She said watching a survivor withdraw a case under pressure is heartbreaking, but the choice remains hers. Nyahondo said she does not blame them, because most are mothers whose abusers are their only breadwinners. Her community-based organisation teaches survivors skills such as making eco-friendly furniture from recycled materials. The aim is to help them earn their own money. Esther Mbogo leads the Community Safe Resilience CBO in Kariobangi South, Ruaraka, Saika, Korogocho and Githurai. Her group tackles GBV alongside substance abuse and environmental injustice. Mbogo said the road to justice is rarely straightforward, even after women are taken to safety and police are informed. According to The Star, police ridicule and administrative delays often discourage survivors. These problems took centre stage at a recent two-day workshop in Nairobi hosted by the Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD) Hub. Activists, community defenders and journalists met to examine technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). Stephanie Wangui, a programmes officer at the Hub, said its e-monitor platform found X to be the…
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