Kenya Women Parliamentary Association Launches Campaign on Ending Violence Against Women in Politics

26 July 2022
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Sharon Resian Nakola

Nairobi — The Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) has launched a video campaign calling for an end to violence against women in politics.

The initiative dubbed "HeshimuDada" and according to the association, during this political campaign season, women have experienced acts of violence both physically and online.

"When women and girls have access to the internet, they face online violence more often than men through a continuum of multiple, recurring and interrelated forms of gender-based threats," Mercy Mwangi a representative to the organization stated.

KEWOPA further partnered with google, to use technology to empower people likely to be victims to help prevent violence against women and online harassment.

It has also mobilized the members to build the capacity and resilience within women leaders to deal with online harassment towards the elections.

The video features Rachel Ruto, spouse of the Deputy President, Martha Karua - Party Leader NARC Kenya, Margaret Kobia, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Public Service, Gender, Social Protection & Senior Citizen Affairs, and Anne Waiguru - Governor, Kirinyaga County.

"They are leading women in a rallying call for peace and a cessation of violence in all its forms, including violence against women in politics, online harassment and so forth," Mwangi stated.

According to a UN Women report, during the 2017 elections in Kenya, female candidates were many times more likely to be the victims of online and offline abuse than their male counterparts.

"Violence against women is a serious problem and women in the public limelight disproportionately deal with online toxicity," the report stated.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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