My Voice, Our Equal Future

On the International Day of the Girl (11 October), Kenyatta University joins the UN Women in observing the International Day of the Girl Child.  Marked on 11 October Since 2012, the day promotes girls' human rights, highlights gender inequalities that remain between girls and boys and addresses the various forms of discrimination and abuse suffered by girls around the world. This year’s theme “My voice, our equal future” highlights the need for girls to speak, and be heard especially in seizing opportunities for a better world. The “loud speaking” theme calls for  an energized,  recognized, counted and invested -in the girl; who in turn speaks against inequalities in accessing  education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, and protection from Sexual and Gender Based Violence, and harmful practices. The day is thus dedicated to celebrate the voices and power of girls, championing their rights worldwide, and reflecting on the challenges they continue to face for the mere fact of just being girls.

Over the years, Kenya has made great strides towards promoting and increasing girls and women’s participation in national development across the economic, political and social sectors. The government’s key goal within the Vision 2030 regarding women has been to reduce gender disparities by making fundamental changes in four areas, namely: opportunity, empowerment, capabilities and vulnerabilities.

Speaking at the International Conference on Population and Development Women Deliver 2019 Conference in Vancouver, Canada  in June  2019, H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta  said:  "I have deliberately undertaken initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, as set in our development blueprint, Vision 2030”. Among  other things, the president highlighted  the 100%  transition from primary to secondary school target and the provision of sanitary towels to over 4 million girls in primary and secondary schools.  He said Kenya’s efforts are informed by the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063 which recognize gender inequality as a challenge that has resulted in women facing disproportionate incidences of poverty, illiteracy and disease across Africa. On the  list of actions was the  call for the implementation of re-entry policies for teenage mothers and pregnant girls to continue with their education.

However, However, Coming from a background where majority of her culture has been male-dominated, strides in girls achievements are often harbored by  Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV)  and harmful annoying retrogressive cultural  practices, which quite often manifest themselves as FGM, child betrothal , teenage pregnancies  and early marriages amongst others. Covid 19 pandemic in particular has heightened gender inequalities as access to resources became compromised. In this note, numerous girls and women have suffered untold suffering as the pandemic progresses. On this note,  the UN Women, the United Nations entity on 27 May, 2020 dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women,  the Shadow Pandemic, that is, a public awareness campaign, focusing on the global increase in domestic violence amid the COVID-19 health crisis. The video  highlights the alarming upsurge in domestic violence during COVID-19 and delivers a vital message urging people to act to support women if they know or suspect someone is experiencing violence. The UN notes that when  households are placed under the increased strains that come from security, health and money worries, and cramped and confined living conditions, levels of domestic violence spike. Government authorities, women’s rights activists and civil society partners across the world are reporting significantly increased calls for help to domestic violence helplines and heightened demand for emergency shelter.

At Kenyatta University, the Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment (CGEE) has  come up with a Technological Response to Sexual & Gender Based Violence (SBGV) in the form of an  Anti-Violence Android Mobile App. This in recognition that SGBV within Universities in Kenya continue to compromise gender equity/equality as well as learning. In Kenyatta University, addressing SGBV is often compromised by numerous loopholes related to confidentiality, protection of the dignity of survivors and disseminating appropriate information to and from survivors. Fragmented sections all dealing with it overwhelms already traumatized survivor(s) thereby creating confusion on where to access help, besides wasting valuable time. Such frustration deters service delivery as SGBV continues.

Observably, institutions have embraced mobile Applications as a way to enhance service delivery. While most students and staff have access to personal phones, the CGEE secured a grant in September 2019 from the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) See https://www.acu.ac.uk/get-involved/60-stories-of-change/the-professor-using-tech-to-keep-staff-and-students-safe/     to develop an Android App. Staff & students can use the App even when they are away from the Campuses and access services through relevant referrals.  The App anonymously, efficiently and securely report SGBV cases to the CGEE, who analyses data and provide reports on submitted cases for further investigation. It is also used to sensitize students and general university community on Gender Issues, besides promoting the HeForShe Campaign. The App is available on Android Devices from Google Play via the link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ke.ac.ku.sgbv. Its main features are:- Reporting - via the App or via SMS Short code; Get Help: Gives information on General Safety of  members of KU; Hotlines: Provides contact information where one can get help and News: To inform users of any news from the Centre

When reporting, data such as: gender, type of incident, location, details of the incident, contact, and image is collected. This data is stored securely and can be accessed by the Centre’s Administrators. The APP also gives the categories & sub-categories of SGBV cases Gender Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault/Abuse, Sexual Exploitation, Defilement and Indecent Acts. It  is able to integrate with Short Code* Messaging in the following ways: Send a message from the App to the short code; Displays the Short code on the homepage; the back-end (database and storage is shared); The app is ready to add the short code once it has been procured. It also gives information on General Safety within the university, offers contact information to use in emergencies besides showing recent news from the CGEE, thereby advertising upcoming events. The App has taken the following measures to ensure privacy and security of data: Users have an option to remain anonymous; The data is store at the University’s servers and  can only be accessed by authorized person(s); there is a log-trail for anyone accessing the system’s dashboard and the Policy can be accessed via this link: http://ku.ac.ke/kuapp/privacy/

*As  the App was being developed, the Centre teamed up with the Women Researchers of Kenya (WERK) in  a project on “Safe Work Spaces for Women Staff at Kenyatta University” and jointly enhanced the App’s features by utilizing the Short-Code and Messaging.

Compiled By Prof. Grace Wamue-Ngare

Director, Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment