Women empowerment to end GBV

Kapenguria

Friday, December 15, 2023

KNA by Richard Muhambe

At least 100 women in West Pokot County have undergone training on economic empowerment and entrepreneurship courtesy of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

The two-day training was organized by the Collaborative Center for Gender Development (CCDG) aimed at empowering women, especially survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

 Irene Cheruto who is in charge of the program in West Pokot said many GBV cases arose from economic challenges hence the need to empower women so that they can support their spouses in meeting their needs.

 “Cases of GBV are very common in families where poverty levels are high. We are trying to train women on how they can start small businesses so that they help their husbands bring something to the table. And that is why in some of our messages are dubbed ‘What women want’,” Cheruto explained.

She highlighted that families that struggle to meet basic needs are more vulnerable to GBV hence the need for support from various welfare partners to eliminate such cases.

She added women have been identified as those who suffer a lot whenever GBV occurs and in most cases, it leads to family disintegration where women are left to suffer with their children.

She urged community members to condemn GBV noting that if such cases are condoned then the society will be on the verge of collapse.

“Some people still view GBV as a normal thing which is very unhealthy to our society. GBV corrupts development and will always hurt our future generations,” stated Cheruto.

She observed that many survivors of GBV have been denied chances by their spouses to engage in businesses thus making their life even more miserable.

Stellah Chepengat, a participant, hinted that cases of GBV also arose from early marriages where young women get into marriage with little knowledge about family life hence frequent conflicts.

“Cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) leading to early marriages have been high in our county. Many of such marriages end up in shambles because the victims were not ready for marriage,” she posed.

The participants lauded the various NGOs for engaging women in the region on matters of economic empowerment and condemnation of retrogressive cultures to have ruined the lives of women.

They concluded that there was a need for a paradigm shift noting that FGM remains a challenge in the Pokot community since some men value women who have undergone the cut leaving those who have not at a crossroads.

Courtesy; KNA