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Wife-beating rampant in Kisii - forum told
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 08 July 2007 00:17
The more than 200 women and youths who attended a one-day workshop at the Gusii County Council Hall said that most husbands subject their wives to torture and when the wives report to the police, no steps were taken.
The workshop which was facilitated by Julikei International Women and Youth Affairs, accused the Kisii men of promoting backward cultural beliefs such as wife beating and circumcision of girls which other communities discarded long time ago. Kisii Mayor Mrs Clare Omanga who was the chief guest challenged the Kisii women to wake up and fight against violence on women.
She claimed that some men in Kisii had a duty roster indicating how many times they should beat their wives per a month. She said that some clans in Kisii were famous for breaking records in wife beating and related crimes and urged politicians to condemn this inhuman acts.
The executive director of Julikei International Women and Youth Affairs, Miss Julie Kemunto Maranya, said that the main purpose of the workshop was the need to address female genital mutilation as a health hazard, retrogressive act and one that has no real benefit or value to our community. Ms Maranya said that there was need to address the issue of female circumcision which she described as an acute problem within the Abagusii community.
She said that her organisation had decided to address the issue and other forms of violence against women from all angles in order to eradicate it. Ms Maranya, who was accompanied by Ms Julie Ongudi of the National commission on the status of women in Kenya, thanked the Australian High Commission for donating funds to support the project and called for more NGOs to address the problem.
