Cabinet Secretary of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Sicily Kariuki at a past event. [Photo|nation.co.ke]
It is time to scale up the fight against gender-based violence and abuse, Youth and Gender Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki has said.
The CS said according to the recent statistics by the Government and UNICEF, Gender Based Violence (GBV) is rising in the country.
Speaking during the launch of 16-Days of Activism against GBV at Ndumberi Stadium, Kiambu County, Kariuki urged Kenyans to step up efforts in taming the vice.
"We must say no to violence in close relationships, to sexual violence, trafficking in human beings, slavery, and sexual exploitation; to harmful practices such as child and forced marriages and female genital mutilation (FGM)," she said.
The CS added: "We must resist emerging forms of violations, such as online harassment, various forms of sexual abuse instigated or facilitated through the use of ICT, stalking, and bullying."
Kariuki observed that gender discrimination and unequal gender balance are the main drivers of GBV.
"These are sustained further by a culture of silence and condemnation of the survivors," she said on Saturday.
The CS said GBV outcomes exact a cost to affected families and the society at large.
"Women, men and children who are subjected to gender violence suffer physically, mentally, spiritually, morally, socially and their survival is at risk," she noted.
The added that the government has a national strategy to fight GBV which focuses on five pillars of prevention, protection, prosecution, programming and partnerships.