Creaw Portal

DAILY NATION Wednesday November 26, 2008

POST"ELECTION VIOLENCE

Heart-wrenching stories narrated at mock tribunal

Women tell horror tales of how men in uniform violated them in their homes

By BORNICE BIOMNDO

one after the other, the women sat in front of an audience and cameras and told of their ordeal. Each story was as heart-wrench­ing as the last. The women told terrify­ing tales of how men in uniform broke into their homes, beat them and violated them.

Catherine's children had left their house in Kibera and gone to join a crowd up­rooting a railway line. They did not un­derstand the implications; they were just lending a helping hand.

When evening came and there was still no sign of the youngsters, Catherine de­cided to search for them. As she neared the rail line, she heard the sound of a child crying. Her maternal instincts could not let her pass and she went to investigate. A young child, about 9, sat there looking lost and scared. She picked up the child was walking back to her house when she met a group of police officers.

"They accused me of being part of the group that had uprooted the railway line", narrated Catherine. "They stripped my clothes off. They even beat the child", she said struggling to hold back her tears. "They marched us back to the rail line where they took turns raping me:'

At some point Catherine passed out and when she came to her senses, she was lying on the tracks naked with only the nine-year­ old child staring down at her. Her clothes were too tattered, so she walked home naked.

"As I walked home I began to wail. A po­lice officer saw me and threw me a lesso with which I covered myself",she said.

Catherine locked herself in her house for days, ashamed, angry but hopeless.

 

'I told them to spare my daughter as she was only a student, and take me instead'

 

A woman weeps as she listens to a rape victim nar­rate her ordeal during the post ­poll criminality at the launch of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence in Nakuru. Photo  by WUINTELEWA

 

"It was the child I had found who carne to my help. When the human rights peo­ple found her, she told them that I had been raped and directed them to my house".Catherine was taken to hospital where she was treated and counseled.

The greatest show of love is sacrifice, which is what Mary did for her daughter. When three men forced their way into her house, she pleaded with them to spare her teenage daughter.

"I told them to spare my daughter as she was only a student, and to take me in­stead", said Mary amidst tears.

All three men took turns raping her. Although she seems fine, Mary's daugh­ter often looks at her mother with a pro­found sadness. "She asks me if I am in pain or if I got infected with HIV",said Mary. "I lie to her, but the truth is I got infected."

Mary and Catherine are two of the five women who yesterday gave their testimo­nies before a crowd of men, women and the media.

This was a mock tribunal, organized by a local non-governmental organization to mark International Day for the Elimina­tion of Violence against Women which is celebrated every November 25.

The event signified the national launch of 16 Days of Activism.

"Every year, women's rights advocates around the world commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Vio­lence",said Ms Faith Kasiva, the coordi­nator of Coalition on Violence Against Women which together with African Woman and Child Feature Service ar­ranged the mock tribunal.

This year's theme "Humans Rights for Women, Human Rights for All" focuses on the sexual violence and abuse against women during post-election mayhem.

The group took the opportnnity to call for full implementation of the Waki re­port. They faulted leaders for politicising the report and failing to consider its recommendations, which were important to women.