Femicide
By Elizabeth Onyango and Sarafina Kimotho
You can connect with Elizabeth and Sarafina on Twitter through their handles @Lizzy34934290 and @seraphinakim respectively.
Day 6 of 16 Days Of Activism 2021 we focus on FEMICIDE
Femicide – the killing of women and girls – is the most extreme form of violence on a continuum of violence and discrimination against women and girls. Various typologies of femicide have been proposed by researchers in the past several decades with most distinguishing ‘intimate femicide’ from various other types of femicide (e.g. familial femicide and stranger femicide). These two broad categories of femicide are defined below.
Intimate femicide also referred to as intimate partner femicide, captures the killing of women by current or former partners. Globally, women are much more likely than men to be assaulted, raped or killed by a current or former partner and it most often occurs within relationships where there is a history of intimate partner violence.
Non-intimate femicide involves the killing of women by someone with whom they did not share an intimate partner relationship, encompassing a broad range of femicide subtypes such as familial femicide, ‘other known perpetrator’ femicide and stranger femicide.
2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the Global 16 Days Campaign. Inspired by the original vision and history of the Campaign, which focused on raising awareness about violence against women (VAW), and considering the continuing impunity for femicide, this year the Campaign is focusing on the issue of “femicide or the gender-related killing of women.” Today, we give attention to some of the most recent femicide cases in Kenya.
A famous English quote says, ‘there’s no place like home’; such a beautiful and powerful phrase, home is supposed to be a peaceful safe haven for women and girls, But is home really safe?
How many women have turned up murdered in their own homes? Stories of young girls raped and butchered because of their sexuality and gender identity, old women torched to death for being suspected of witchcraft, our mothers’ blood calling and crying woooi woooi, I only wanted to stay for my children😢
We call everyone to action, telling her to leave that man or leave that house is not enough, We call everyone to mention their names, shout their names
- IVY – hacked to death by a man she turned down
- ERICA – Brutally murdered for being herself
- TIROP – found dead in bed with multiple wounds.
- CYNTHIA – 17-year-old, raped, killed and dumped in a river
If the victims could speak up today, We wonder what will they say?
My killer wasn’t some crazy stranger or a masked-up psychopath, it was my companion and my partner, one who knew me intimately.
Tirop
They killed my dreams, my ambitions and aspirations in life, they denied me a chance for my wings to grow and fly, even before I started my light was deemed.
Erica
The threat of a violent death of a woman is indeed great in her own home. It is there where she was the least safe from harm.
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