At PBI, the safety and wellbeing of human rights defenders are paramount. PBI Kenya embraces the concept of holistic ‘human security’ that entails freedom from fear, freedom from want, and freedom to live in dignity. This security goes beyond physical to include economic, health, environmental, personal, and community elements of life.
In September, we published a simplified handbook on the Sexual Offences Act, 2006. This handbook,
40 years ago, in 1981, a group of international activists came together to create a movement for peace, solidarity and non-violent action. While our core mission remains the same, we have adapted our tactics to ensure defenders are protected despite the rapidly changing global context and ever-evolving risks and threats they face. 40 years on, PBI remains convinced of the vital role HRDs play in strengthening democracy, upholding the rule of law, and protecting our shared environment. Together, through their protection, we can create a more peaceful and just world.
PBI Kenya in collaboration with the members of the Social Justice Centers Working Group (SJCWG) conducted a Training of Trainers on safety and security for HRDs. Ten HRDs of Social Justice Centres in Nairobi were trained on risk assessments and security plans for HRDs. This included stakeholders analysis, digital security, organisational security and many other important topics. There was specific attention to training techniques in order for the participants to effectively train other HRDs.
The WHRD Toolkit Organizers involve their communities in the planning, designing, and creation of murals. They believe that the input of the communities is instrumental as the mural piece reflects the character, culture, and situation in the respective settlements.
During October and November 2020, the Women Human Rights Defenders Toolkit Organizers have been using murals to address the rise in child pregnancies and SGBV during Covid-19.
PBI Kenya began the year on a high note, by continuing to supporting the work of the HRDs of the Social Justice Centres in Kenya through a new project titled ‘Raising the voice, visibility and effectiveness of the human rights movement in Kenya’. This follows after the successful completion of the pilot project ‘Increased capacities, stronger networks’. Both are supported with German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Funding Programme zivik.
International Women’s Day (IWD) takes place every year on March 8 to celebrate women’s rights and inspire people to act for gender equality. The theme for 2021 was #ChooseToChallenge. It highlighted the importance of challenging biases and misconceptions in the interest of creating a more inclusive and gender-equal world.
During November and December PBI organised a ‘Virtual Speaker Tour’, comprising of webinars, media engagement and meetings with the international community. The virtual nature of the Speaker Tour was necessitated by the global Covid-19 pandemic, which made international travel problematic.
The Police Reforms Working Group Kenya, an alliance of national and grassroots organisations committed to professional and rule of law policing, has issued a statement with its initial response to the Building Bridges Initiative implementation road map, that was launched on October 26.