Thursday, April 05, 2007

Isn't this about governance?

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Source: Reuters AlertNet April 3, 2007 - Nearly 140 Kenyans have been killed and 45,000 have beendriven from their homes by a rash of land clashes in the country's west, aleading women's group said on Tuesday. Six months of violence in the fertile Mount Elgon region near the Ugandanborder is a "silent genocide" of women and children, the Maendeleo YaWanawake consortium of women's groups with 2 million members said. Six more people were killed overnight within earshot of the top regionalgovernment officer's residence, underscoring a continuing pattern ofviolence sparked by competition for land and resources in Kenya's morefar-flung corners. The attacks have targeted men, women and children, but the women's groups said the women and children were especially at risk. "Women are being raped, children are maimed by bullets then forced to fleetheir homes. We must stop the death and the trauma before we can beginnegotiating land disputes," spokeswoman Rukia Subow told a Nairobi newsconference. "The violence is forcing thousands to go running for the caves. It is anembarrassment for peace-loving Kenya," she said. Land is an explosive issue in the east African nation. For decades, toppoliticians grabbed public land for political patronage, dividing it amongmembers of their tribe or giving it to other tribes to buy loyalty. To access the complete article, please visit http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L03671941.htm
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Isn't the insecurity of thousands of women and children about governance? Isn't the rape of 1 woman; 2000 women; 1 child; an issue of governance? Or do you need atleast 45,000 or perhaps 100,000 more female survivors of sexual violence for us to speak out and force our Governemnt to do something?
Why do we try to separate gender issues in our responses to conflict and other development problems - why do we not address gender and women's rights in the 'serious, high-level' policy making spaces? Why isn't it addressed as we talk about military strategies; security responses of states?
Or is it too 'soft an issue'?
Or does it bring the reality of the 'policy' or 'legislative' issue we are discussing too much into sharp focus- are we not tough enough to deal with the sheer scale of the problem? Are we the problem?
I wonder how many women and girls who will survive the rapes in Mt Elgon will ever see justice? I wonder how many of the discussions to quell the conflict will ever make reference to the need for justice for survivors of rape?
How many will forever be left with the stigma of rape and most likely HIV infection.