WOUNDED HEALERS INTERNATIONAL

Help End Sexual Violence | Support Survivors sexual violence in Kenya

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End Sexual violence- Motorcycle taxi riders against violence

Boda Boda (Motorcycle Taxis) operators can play a critical role in addressing social, cultural, and gender norms that propagate harmful practices such as sexual violence, child and forced marriages, and FGM. In addition, they are in a unique position to provide support to victims who have been affected by these practices through their day-to-day interactions with clients and knowledge of the community terrains.

Rape culture is a culture in which sexual violence is treated as the norm and victims are blamed for their own assaults.

Boda Boda riders

“Sixteen Boda Boda riders have been arrested and five motorcycles impounded over the sexual assault of a female motorist along Nairobi’s Wangari Maathai road last Friday 4th, Kenyan police say”. This was the latest news of sexual assaults committed by Boda Boda riders in Kenya.

This news and many other reports of riders who rape clients made Mr. John, the chairman of Mwihoko Boda Boda rider, come to wounded Healers in Kenya requesting education on sexual violence for him and his association of more than 200 riders. He said that he would like his association to join the fight to break the culture and social norms that lead to sexual violence and know what he can do if any of his riders commit the crime.

Boda-Boda (motorcycle taxi) hosts millions of young people in Kenya. However, with very few women having the courage to venture into the industry, it remains a male-dominated sector.

Led by Program manager Josephine, Wounded Healers educated 60 riders about sexual violence, cultures, and social norms that fuel it and what they can do in case they come across a victim. Together with the upcoming Member of County Assembly and the Mwihoko riders association, Wounded Healers will support girls to access sexual and reproductive services, advocating against all forms of sexual violence and other harmful practices such as rape culture at the community level. In addition, wounded Healers will provide free mental health support to all riders whenever they need it to take their business forward.

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I Will Rise Again – Tiana Story

“The sex work business was never easy because men and police harassed me.”

“ I grew up in the streets of Nairobi after we could not afford rent in our Mathare slum house. My father left us when I was young. My mother was hooked on drugs for us and my brother or me. She introduced me to drugs at a young age and forced me to go and beg in the streets. I was too young to understand the risks of using drugs.
My mother had multiple men who slept with her for food, drugs, and money. She treated me as her bait to get anything she wanted when she was sick or drunk. So I was introduced to some of her men to earn money in exchange for sex. 
As the days went by, I was addicted to drugs like my mother. Then, one day I was gang-raped by street boys while drunk. The feeling of shame overwhelmed me, but I could not do anything but be silent because of their insults.
When I reached eleven years old, my mother became insane and started acting like a mad person. My brother was hit by a car in the city and died. The street families began insulting my mother, and I was always embarrassed whenever I saw her. I decided to go and create a new Life. I met my street friend Stellar who introduced me to her job. She was a sex worker and a pickpocketer.
She introduced me to her clients, and we shared the amount I was paid. Stellar taught me about using contraceptives not getting pregnant when I started my periods. I started earning money to cater to my basic needs. 
The sex work business was never easy because men and police harassed me. One day while at work, I met a very social client. I loved the way we interacted and exchanged contacts.
He insisted that I meet him at a private place the next day, and I accepted. When he came to our meeting point, I  started feeling uncomfortable, but he assured me everything was alright. A few minutes later, two huge men appeared and blindfolded me. They threatened me not to scream or else they will kill me. I was afraid of them, so I did as they told me.
I was taken into a room and locked inside. They told me that I would be recorded having sex with different men, and if I resisted, they would kill me. I was locked inside the room for two months, and other men could come every day. They did not even check if I had any infections. After a few weeks, I started feeling different. Finally, they noticed and confirmed that I was pregnant. One of them proposed that I aborted the baby and brought me some pills. A few hours after taking them, I started bleeding heavily, and they started arguing.
I was taken to the hospital and left there. After a lot of confusion, a doctor approached me, and I told him everything. I was treated and admitted to the hospital. Unfortunately, my baby died, and I was infected with HIV. I also had infections of STDs.
I feel like I am a dead person. My whole life, I have been living like a forbidden person. I am under medication, and investigations are still going on. At night I usually have nightmares and stress. I am not sure if I will live to see another day every time I close my eyes.”

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The Trauma Associated With Sexual Assault In Children

In as much as the majority believe a Child’s memory fades with time, that is not the case for sexual violence. Many grow up with the memory of the assault wishing the situation was handled differently. Others blame themselves for being targets of pedophiles.

According to the survey conducted by the Kenyan government, the researchers spoke to more than 2000 children and young adults from all 47 counties in Kenya between December 2018 and January 2019. The survey was named The 2019 Violence Against Children Survey (VACS).The key findings revealed:

  • Half of the young women (52 percent) and young men (51.5 percent) between the ages of 18 and 24 witnessed violence at home as a child.
  • Almost half of the girls (48.2 percent) and more than two out of five boys (41.7 percent) aged 13 to 17 had experienced violent discipline like corporal punishment in the 12 months before the survey.
  • It is not common for children to report violence or seek assistance. Only 12.5 percent of young women who had experienced sexual violence as a child sought help, and only three percent of young men.
  • Of the women who did not seek help, more than half (53.6 percent) said it was because they did not think the abuse was a problem.
  • Many children think violence is to be tolerated. More than half of girls (50.5 percent) and almost half of boys (47.3 percent) aged between 13 and 17 indicated it was acceptable for a husband to beat his wife.
  • Physical violence was the most common type of violence experienced as a child, reported by 38.8 percent of young women and 51.9 percent of young men aged 18-24.
  • Nearly one in six young women (15.6 percent) aged 18 to 24 experienced sexual violence as a child, compared to 6.4 percent of young men, with intimate partners the most common perpetrators.
  • Around a third of boys (32.2 percent) and girls (34.3 percent) aged 13 to 17 experienced emotional violence – such as being told that their parent wished they had never been born – in the 12 months before the survey was conducted.

The statistics are worrisome, showcasing a high number of assault cases happens in homes and schools, places where the kids are confined, and that the abuser is well known to the family and the society; hence the case may not be handled in favor of the child instead the turn of the adults to protect their image.

April is sexual assault awareness month; the Wounded Healers International seeks to create awareness to anyone who has a child that is assaulted or anyone who was attacked as a child, now an adult and never got help. To contact us and get free counseling, we shall work with you to ensure you get the healing you deserve at no cost.

Applaud to the Kenyan celebrities coming out to speak about their assault experiences when they were younger and how they have learned to take caution as they raise their kids and are openly sharing tall free numbers and government offices to get help.