End Femicide NOW! African Girls & Young Women Voices Demand for Justice
A wave of youthful defiance washed over Kenya’s streets today, as girls and young women, demanded justice in collective outrage against the chilling specter of femicide. This time, their voices were not mistaken as whispers of discontent, but fierce echoes decrying against a patriarchal system that has silenced too many innocent victims for far too long.
No longer willing to live in fear, the #SheLeads sisters painted a poignant portrait of loss Kenya has witnessed in the recent past. The girls painstakingly remarked how femicide had etched a perennial fear in their daily lives. Their pain was palpable, a collective for sisters brutally silenced. Femicide, they cried, wasn’t just a statistic; it was a shadow cast upon their mental well-being, a constant threat that choked their dreams and stole their sense of safety.
Amidst the grief, a fire burned bright through Nancy Barasa, one of the girls in the She Leads board and also from Zamara Foundation, said, “My right to life is not a debate, ” Her defiant spirit ignited an unquenchable flame in the hearts of countless others, refusing to be silenced by the shadow of violence.
Pauline Nabwire of Polycom and Bernice Dodoo from Ghana joined their voices to the symphony of advocacy. Dodoo passionately stated, “Women’s rights are human rights, and women’s lives deserve to be respected.” She further urged everyone to join in raising their voices and demanding justice, envisioning a society where a woman’s right to live is treated with the same reverence as a fundamental human right.
Accordingly, Sarah Ouma, from Slum Dwellers International Kenya, expressed her longing for a society where she is free to just be, emphasizing the need for a space where women can thrive without the looming threat of violence.
Finally, Esther Nyawira, FEMNET’s She Leads Pan African coordinator, issued an unapologetic call to action, stating, “We are unapologetic when we say stop killing women, stop killing girls. Lives have been lost but justice seems to be delayed.”
Nyawira urged policymakers to fulfil their promises and bring femicide perpetrators to justice, demanding tangible action to ensure the safety of girls and young women in Kenya.
In unison, these brave girls declared that the time for change is now. They also underscored that their collective conscience for justice has commenced, and the rally was just but a genesis for them to ascertain that girls and young women can live without, fear and intimidation.
The aforementioned was written and compiled by Imali Ngusale and Esther Nyawira in memory of Juliet Naeku, Florence Kaari, Sheila Jepkemboi, Beth Wanjiku, Elizabeth Kaara and in honour of the other femicide victims who have never given an opportunity to speak for themselves.
