Mombasa county gender based violence technical group composing of Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani, FIDA Kenya, Action Aid and Muhuri have today launched a toll free line which will be available for reporting Gender based violence cases within the county.
This is following the recent rise in cases of gender based violence countrywide which has been attributed to the curfew directive by the government due to the corona virus pandemic.
Speaking during the launch which took place at Tononoka grounds, County Director for Gender Services Esther Ingolo said the line will be open for calls immediately due to the urgency of the situation.
“The curfew has seen a big increase of gender based violence.Most victims are also unable to report the cases to the relevant offices. This has been a great challenge,” She said.
Also speaking at the launch Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani Director Violet Mthiga has encouraged more victims to report using the availed line and stop suffering in silence behind closed doors.
“People need to come out and make the reports. We have taken this step to ensure that the affected people get the help that they need. After the report is made, we will avail a referral list to attend to the affected people, according to the reported cases,” she noted.
She also pointed out that more than 27 cases of gender based violence had been reported to the county offices in the month of April alone while many more hadn’t been reported to the offices due to the curfew and cessation of movement.
This initiative will help in dealing with cases of women who are also afraid of reporting cases of violence in order to protect their marriages and the while tackling the stigma behind broken marriages. This also by offering counseling for the affected marriages.
FIDA Mombasa has also promised to work hand in hand with the Technical working groups in Mombasa County to ensure that perpetrators of Gender based violence are held responsible for their crimes.
The Toll free line launched for the services are 0800720587 for direct calls and 21094 for sms.
