Campaign against gender violence in matatus launched

Campaign against gender violence in matatus launched

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and Equality Now, a human rights and gender equity lobby group on Thursday launched a campaign to end sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) in Public Service Vehicles (Matatus) in Kenya.

In a joint statement sent to newsrooms, the two organisations said that many cases have been reported in which women and girls have been sexually assaulted in PSV’s prompting them to create awareness.

“In November, a matatu driver raped two passengers in separate attacks in Nakuru, including a 15-year-old girl. This is just one of many cases, and is part of Kenya’s broader problem with SGBV,” the statement reads.

According to the document, Kenya does not have a dedicated database for dealing with cases of SGBV in PSV’s, meaning the victims are not getting the assistance they need.

“Currently, when people phone to report sexual harassment or assault they are put through to a general complaints line.  The long term goal of the partnership between NTSA and Equality Now is to establish a gender desk that people can call to access specialist support provided by staff trained to deal with SGBV issues,” the statement reads.

Through the partnership, passengers and matatu crew will be informed on the various ways of preventing and reporting cases of sexual harassment and assault to NTSA through the dedicated complaints hotline.

“Members of the public, passengers and matatu crew are being invited to take part in conversations which will lead to positive behavioral and attitude change, and to shift the focus from blaming victims to calling on perpetrators to be held accountable for sexual harassment and assault involving public service vehicles,” the statement reads.

The public has been encouraged to use the hashtags #MyMatatuStory and #NganyaSafe to share their thoughts and experiences on social media.

 

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NTSA Equality Now National Transporrt and Safety Authority (NTSA) ntsa director Francis Meja Gender based violence in PSVs

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