The first ever National Gender Based Violence Conference organized by the State Department for Gender Secretariat for two days at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies came to a close on 17th October, 2019.
The convention whose theme was “The Missing Agenda-Accountability Towards Prevention and Response to GBV” was attended by actors involved in the support for an enabling environment to address gender based violence in particular ensuring that legislation and policies in National and target Counties are adopted, known, implemented, and are informed by voices of GBV survivor
In her keynote address, Chief Administrative Officer (CAS) in the Department for Gender Secretariat Hon.Rachel Shebesh on behalf of Prof.Margret Kobia, Ph.D, MGH, CBS, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender informed stakeholders that Kenya will be hosting the Nairobi Summit International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25), a high-level conference to mobilize the political will and financial commitments from 12-14 November 2019. ’’Importantly for us in this conference is the Thematic area: Getting to Zero: GBV and Harmful Practices. This theme reflects His Excellency the President’s commitment during the Women Deliver Conference earlier this year to end FGM by 2022” said Shebesh.
“I challenge all us to meaningfully engage and collectively identify the missing link in preventing and responding to GBV. I am confident that this meeting will amplify an array of vital voices and strengthen our partnership on a subject that has been referred to as “history’s greatest silence”. Indeed, gender based violence has been the world’s least-reported and least-condemned crime,” added Shebesh
A team of medical practitioners from Kenyatta National Hospital attended the conference and took notes on existing gaps in referral pathway while supporting survivors access emergency medical and psycho-social support. "KNH is a strategic partner at the National level whose role is key in addressing GBV in the response and support chain," said one of the panelists .During the conference, GBV training Resource Book, Options paper for the safe protective spaces, National Policy on eradication of FGM and Hotline number 1195 which is toll free for calls and sms for victims was launched.
