Help Stop Violent Attacks Against Kenyan Women — #MyDressMyChoice
- by: TakePart
- recipient: H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya
On Nov. 10, a group of bus conductors surrounded a woman at Nairobi’s busy Embassava Saaco bus station and violently stripped her for being "indecently dressed" and a "jezebel." A few days later, several more women were similarly attacked in Nairobi and Mombasa.
Each time, dozens of bystanders looked on, going so far as to film the attacks and post them online. While the authorities have publicly condemned the attacks, much more must be done to prevent and penalize rising violence against Kenyan women. In Kenya, one in five women will experience sexual violence in her lifetime, and an estimated 45 percent of Kenyan women ages 15 to 49 have experienced physical or sexual violence—and these numbers are likely to be much higher, as survivors rarely report the attack to authorities.
We want action.
The recent attacks underscore the enormity of the gender-based violence that persists around the world. Please stand with Equality Now and its Kenyan partners, SOAWR, COVAW, FEMNET, and Africa UNiTE–Kenya, in calling for justice and for Kenyan authorities to immediately and comprehensively stop the normalization of violence against women.
In Kenya, thousands have joined the #MyDressMyChoice campaign to challenge the idea that women and their bodies are public property, open for public comment, harassment, or worse.
To: H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya
I am deeply concerned about the rise in violent attacks on and harassment of women in Kenya—particularly those in which women are being stripped, beaten, and publicly humiliated for being “indecently dressed.” Much more must be done—urgently—to prevent such attacks and to systematically address and end violence against women. Women and girls in Kenya have a fundamental right to feel safe in their communities, whether about town or commuting to and from employment, regardless of their attire.
The attacks in Kenya underscore the large scale of gender-based violence that persists in societies around the world, reinforcing a power dynamic in which women and their bodies are public property, open for public comment, harassment, or worse. Today we want action from you to address these manifestations of violence against women that rob them of their personal rights and autonomy.
I join Equality Now and its Kenyan partners in calling for justice for those attacked, to ensure that the survivors are not re-victimized and stigmatized and that Kenyan authorities aggressively and comprehensively address violence against women.
[Your comment here]
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
