Source: The Citizen
The government has been urged to walk the talk in fighting gender-based violence by translating conventions it has ratified into laws, to give security organs more powers in dealing with the vice.The laws will also have powers to differentiate gender-based violence from other kinds of the vice prevailing in the society, thereby helping courts to issue punishment.

This was said yesterday by the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) director, Ms Helen Kijo-Bisimba, during the launch of a campaign 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.

Ms Kijo-Bisimba said there are so many conventions which the government has ratified but which it has never changed into laws, thereby hindering the activists' fight against such actions.

"For example, government ratified Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1985, but up to now it has never made any efforts in turning it into a law," said Ms Kijo-Bisimba.

For his part, the permanent secretary in the ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children - who was the guest of honour - Ms Kijakazi Mtengwa, said the government was doing everything in alleviating gender-based violence because not only did it affect those who were involved personally but also the nation at large.

She said currently the government was working on a participatory approach which would involve the whole society in a bid to alleviate the problem."We want to make sure that the whole society is being involved. This will be done by making them aware of the extent of the problem in the country," said Ms Mtengwa.

She added that it was through these participatory approaches that the public would formulate strategies to establish a permanent solution to the existing problems.

Ms Columba Odwd who represented the Irish ambassador promised support to the government and other stakeholders who would need help in fighting the problem.

"Problem remains in ensuring effective implementation of policies, plans and guidelines as well as putting in place effective gender responsive monitoring, reporting and accountability mechanisms at all levels," said Ms Odwd.
She noted that the European Union, in collaboration with the United Nations, has so far granted a total of Sh600 million in funding various projects.

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