By Abdimalik Hajir
GARISSA- Women in Garissa have made tremendous strides in taking up positions of responsibilities, education and ending harmful practices such as FGM but there are still more barriers.
Speaking during the marking of International Women’s Day at Yathrib girls’ secondary school, Garissa County Executive Committee member in charge of Education Ebla Minhaj attributed this to concerted efforts by partners and government initiatives.
She however said a lot still needed to be done since there are a lot of barriers affecting women in all aspects urging parents to prioritize education of their girls noting that education is the only tool for empowering them.
“We have made a lot of improvement on matters of women in the country, there are many women governors, members of parliament and others holding senior positions,” she said.
During the event, women’s rights activists from various organizations emphasized the need to address the rampant cases of sexual violence against schoolgirls, which occur both at home and in school, as well as the prevalence of early marriage and FGM.
The county Executive Committee member in charge of Gender and culture Hawo Abdi Sahal decried the increasing cases of leaked videos of sexual nature against girls noting that measures are put in place to council such victims.
“Whether it was done out of consent or not it’s a criminal offence to do that and we are liaising with other governments to ensure girls and women are protected with the view of prosecuting perpetrators,” she said.
She said the majority of the victims are minors whom she said are lured by individuals she said must face justice for their offence urging girls to be wary of people hellbent on destroying their future.
Irshad Yussuf, a human rights activist, stated that Garissa-based agencies fighting against GBV had successfully ensured that 13 sexual violence cases were forwarded to the Garissa court in the past year, with nine resulting in convictions.
“Sexual offenders are now behind bars serving jail terms after we said no to Maslah courts,” he revealed.
Fatuma Ahmed Badhi, a human rights defender, urged young girls to be cautious around both relatives and strangers.
Zamzam Mohamed of ActionAid encouraged the girls to dial 21094 for help in case they were sexually assaulted, abused, or harassed.
“Once you dial, you will be rescued. Any information you provide through the helpline to protect other girls will remain confidential,” she said.
The event, which was celebrated with songs, dances, and poems highlighting the strength of women, also saw several organisations donate sanitary pads and milk to the schoolgirls.
