Nairobi — Stakeholders in Kenyan athletics have heightened the war against gender-based violence (GBV) with the establishment of a hotline to assist those in distress.
The hotline consists of a toll-free line (11995) and a chatbot (0701116116), through which athletes caught up in GBV can seek instant help.
National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) director of fund management services, Viridiana Wasike, says the hotline will help curtail cases of GBV before they worsen.
"This hotline ensures you (athletes) can call when in distress or when you are going through GBV. The other one (11995), you will not need to pay for you to access it. We are asking everyone to lend their voice and time to this campaign. If we speak up, that's the only way we can reduce cases of GBV, or even eliminate it all together," Wasike said.
Athletics Kenya's (AK) chief administrative officer (CAO) Susan Kamau said the federation are determined to make GBV a thing of the past in athletics.
"There have been so many cases of GBV affecting athletics and the government has been asking us why this is so. AK is serious about eradicating GBV and we will fight it aggressively the same way we have waged war against doping," she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by chair of AK's safeguarding committee, Elizabeth Keitany, who bemoaned the despicable acts occurring in the sport.
"The stories we are hearing from different athletes are very terrible. However, we encourage you to keep speaking up...come to us for help and do not hesitate. We have helped so many athletes who were undergoing GBV and we will continue to do so," Keitany said.
The trio were speaking at the Machakos Youth Centre on Monday during Day One of a week-long engagement and awareness campaign against the vice.
The campaign is spearheaded by NGAAF, AK, Equity Bank Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the government -- via the ministries of Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage as well as of Sports.
Athletes in attendance suggested that the campaign should also include faith-based leaders and occur regularly to build on the gains made.
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Furthermore, they bemoaned the apathy displayed by law enforcement officers who do not take instant action when cases of GBV are reported.
They asked for the devolvement of the safeguarding services to the grassroots, training of more female coaches and enhanced surveillance of training camps by government agencies.
The caravan moves to Ngong' on Tuesday (November 5) for another engagement with the athletes based in that area.
After the week-long campaign, stakeholders will undertake 16 days of activism (November 25-December 10) where legislators will be tasked with translating the athletes' suggestions into policies.
