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By Isabella Maua
Whistle blowers and other stakeholders within Mt. Elgon have been challenged to be more aggressive and vigilant in their quest to fight gender-based violence.
This was reached during a community protection watch group review at Kapsokwony on August 24, which was held by the Kenya Red Cross Bungoma.
Speaking during the session, Dr.Sikuku Kwenyi of Mt. Elgon Sub County observed that there has been a decline in the number of GBV-related cases reaching hospitals, but he’s sceptical since many go unreported.
“Many intimate partner violence cases are never reported to the police, nor are victims brought to the hospital for medical attention. Let’s not celebrate yet because there’s a lot of sensitization we need to do, especially in the interior remote parts,” advised Dr. Kwenyi.
Rose Chemos, a volunteer at the Red Cross, reported that cases of GBV are steadily increasing in the villages, especially among married couples.
“There’s a lot of emotional violence among couples, especially when wives threaten their husbands; this has greatly impacted negatively on drunkards since they happen to be at higher risk,” highlighted Chemos.
Bishop Francis Kabindio also called upon stakeholders to intensely involve the church in the fight against GBV and put more emphasis on family relations.
“Cases of neglect in families are rampant, and in my opinion, the church could play a key role, especially in building strong family bonds and impacting both psychological and spiritual knowledge, mentioned Kabindio.
Conclusively, parents were called upon to be responsible for their children, while GBV victims were encouraged to report cases to the police after seeking medical attention with immediate effect.
The meeting involved whistleblowers among the Sabaot, Luhya, Teso, and Kisii, who were encouraged to come up with their mission and vision in their native language so as to easily reach the elderly and illiterate within their areas of jurisdiction.