Women and minority rights activists around the world are working to create positive change in their communities. Women human rights defenders face many of the same challenges as their male counterparts. However, many face additional obstacles and threats because they challenge the status quo twice over – through their work and by challenging (by their very existence) accepted norms, traditions, perceptions and stereotypes about femininity, sexual orientation and the role and status of women in society. As a result, they are vulnerable to threats, stigma, rejection by family and community, and violence.
Making Space for Dialogue – Women Rights Defenders in Nairobi, Kenya is a conversation with Catherine Wangui, WHRD Toolkit Organizer and Florence Mwikali from Peace Brigades International - Kenya Project.
We discussed solidarity, networking and the Mulika Wabakaji campaign. We also talked about feminism, what a gender-equal society looks like and how men can support women’s rights.
With support from ProtectDefenders.eu, the Mulika Wabakaji Campaign Consortium launched the Mulika Wabakaji campaign. “Mulika Wabakaji” can be translated to ‘expose perpetrators of rape and defilement’. The campaign addresses the low conviction rate of perpetrators of rape and defilement and was initiated by the WHRD Toolkit Organisers.
Now, the Mulika Wabakaji Campaign Consortium consists of 25 like-minded partners who work in synergy. The campaign was launched on 8th December and is expected to run for a period of 3 years.
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,
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.
I was born in Kibera and then I moved up country with my family. When I came back to Nairobi, I ran a community-based organisation (CBO) in Dandora to empower women on their human rights, in particular gender-based violence and defilement cases. We also taught entrepreneurship because we used to build women’s skills so they can survive on their own.
I was born in Nairobi, after which we moved up country where I grew up. I took some jobs there working in first aid rooms and then I came to Mukuru twenty years ago. I became a Human Rights Defender when I worked in a clinic in Mukuru. However, in 2007, they closed the clinic because of the post-election violence. After staying home for two years I decided to work as a volunteer at the community health centre. It was better for me to be there than to stay in the house. My family is in Mukuru, they think a job is a job and they are supporting me.