Train officers to handle gender crimes, says NGO
By Milliam.Murigi, September 5, 2022The National Police Service has been called upon to consider incorporating Gender-Based Violence response training to all officers to strengthen their responses to such cases.
Speaking in Gilgil during a workshop to discuss social and economic effects of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Women’s Empowerment Link Executive Director Virginia Nduta (left), said doing so will develop an effective response system to GBV cases.
“All police officers need to know how to handle GBV cases since they are the first contact of survivors of GBV not only in the police station but also in the Criminal Justice System,” she said.
Nduta noted that another approach that can be used to develop an effective response system to GBV is to conduct a countrywide training so that even officers stationed at the Occurrence Book are aware of how to approach GBV cases.
Even though it is compulsory for all police stations to have a gender desk that are supposed to offer a survivor-centered response for survivors to report cases of SGBV, only a few stations have set up those desks due to lack of manpower.
“Just a few stations have been able to establish elaborate gender desks. For some that have those desks, sometimes they are also not manned so it becomes a challenge when someone goes to report a GBV related crime,” Nduta noted.