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Baraza-led femicide committee gets down to work

Baraza-led femicide committee gets down to work
Former Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza. PHOTO/PRINT

The Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) was sworn in yesterday and will prioritize evaluation of the effectiveness of the existing legal framework with a view to proposing actionable measures to combat incidents of gender based violence, including femicide.

The 42-member team chaired by Dr Nancy Baraza which will commence its work immediately is also expected to come up with reliable data for evidence-based interventions

Internal Security Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo noted that there are existing gaps in prevention, response, investigation, prosecution, data management as well as survivor support systems which must be addressed through innovative ways in order to deal with the vice.

PS Omollo said though women and girls were the most vulnerable, the stakeholders should also not forget the male gender.
“The timelines are pretty tight and we expect the team to work within those timelines. More than ever, it is critical to protect all genders from sexual predators, jilted lovers, and criminal harmful traditional practices that constitute criminal acts,” he said.

According to the PS, most recently, women and girls have been the primary targets and victims of such threats..

The working group’s members include the Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo, Linah Jebii Kilimo, who served as MP for Marakwet East, Dr Sam Thenya, the founder of the Nairobi Women’s Hospital, and crime and investigative journalist Franklin Wallah among others.

President William Ruto, while forming the team, cited the increased cases of GBV and femicide that have continued to cause immense physical, emotional, and economic harm to individuals, families, and communities.

The task force is tasked with the responsibilities of assessing, reviewing, and recommending measures to strengthen the institutional, legal, and policy response to GBV and femicide in the country.

The group will focus on identifying trends, strengthening legal frameworks, and proposing actionable measures to combat the pervasive issue.

One of the core mandates of the working group is to “identify trends, hotspots, and causes contributing to GBV and femicide,” according to the Gazette Notice.

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