Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Kenya: Report on Violence Against Women and Girls on Public Transport

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This is a guest blog post about a new baseline study on sexual harassment on public transit and related spaces in Nairobi County.

By Flone Initiative

NATURE OF VAWG

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) in public transport and its associated spaces has and continues to be a global problem. According to the Flone Initiative‘s  “Baseline Study on Violence against Women and Girls in Public Road Transport and Connected Spaces in Nairobi County, Kenya,” on average 73 percent of the survey respondents had heard/witnessed while 27 percent had not heard/witnessed any case. This means that such cases are common and do indeed occur in the public transport sector in the selected routes in Nairobi County.  The cases are taken with a high level of seriousness and thus would be expeditiously addressed if reported.

The most common forms of street harassment include the use of abusive language by the matatu crews and inappropriate physical contact that includes unnecessary touching of female passengers in an effort to coerce them to board the PSV and staring/winking. Cases of stripping/undressing and inappropriate gestures were the least cited. This could be due to the fact that they are extreme, though not uncommon. Other actions reported include men blocking the vehicle entrance or exit from women and comments with sexual connotations used with inappropriate gestures.

According to the findings, the major perpetrators of VAWG usually are public transport crew (drivers, conductors or touts) at 82 percent, followed by female passengers at 18 percent.  According to the study, male passengers are not perpetrators of VAWG. This implies that the matatu crews rank highest as perpetrators mostly due to the fact that they frequently interact with passengers. Other perpetrators include touts, drunk passengers and unauthorized persons in the bus stations. With regards to touts, it is worth noting that they act independently within the sector, most of them lack professionalism and are not regulated or bound by any code of conduct.  Therefore, it may be difficult to hold them to account with regard to VAWG cases they may be involved in.

The majority of women and girls said they hear or witness cases of sexual harassment once a month, while for others it is more than 5 times. Only a few said they do not hear nor witness such cases.  This shows that cases of sexual harassment are quite common in the public transport sector in Nairobi County.

PREVALENCE OF VAWG

Though there are certain spaces associated with violence and harassment, it is important to note that women and girls are harassed in both public and private spheres. It is also worth acknowledging that violence against women and girls denies them the capacity to explore and interact freely. Women and girls are more susceptible to harassment and violence due to the existing cultural norms and stereotypes.

According to the survey majority (64 percent) of harassment incidences occur at the bus stop/station, while 18 percent take place inside the vehicle. Only 9 percent were identified as occurring at the vehicle entrance. Others incidences were found to occur in spaces such as private hire cars/taxis. This is due to the fact that various unauthorized persons including touts hang around the bus stages and related spaces.

Alarmingly, some commuters (25 percent) attribute women’s clothing as a major contributing factor of VAWG.  Twenty-one percent attribute VAWG to the fact that police don’t take such cases seriously. It is worth noting that 18 percent believe that the failure by victims to report such cases is a major contributing factor.  Commuters also believe that the lack of reporting mechanisms in the PSV SACCOs and overcrowding in public transport vehicles does contribute to VAWG at 14 percent and 13 percent respectively. The lack of security personnel accounted for 5 percent while poorly lit and isolated bus stops were also identified as major contributors of harassment at 3 percent.

Violence and harassment is not only limited to women and girls utilizing public transport; women driving private cars also face verbal harassment. This includes hearing insults and harassment by matatu drivers during peak hours. Although harassment is common in some selected routes within the city of Nairobi, it is worth noting that, there were some SACCO’s that taken initiative to offer customer service training to their staff. This has been found to reduce confrontations between commuters and the operators.

RESPONSES TO VAWG

According to the survey, the most frequent response of commuters to harassment was to take no action (36 percent). Thirty percent reported incidents to the PSV SACCO officials and 26 percent confronted the perpetrator. Only 8 percent said they would report the case to the police, showing a distrust of police. However, it is comforting to note that a good number have faith in the fact that the PSV SACCO would address the matter and thus they are willing to report to the PSV SACCO officials.

Despite the SACCO managers being granted the mandate of maintaining order in their selected route, very few or none are doing a good job. According to the survey, the PSV SACCO managers would act or choose not to act depending on the magnitude of the harassment incident. The majority would refrain from any process that would involve them appearing before legal and justice systems.

The majority of the managers (37 percent) would sack the staff involved, 18 percent would have the case reported to the police and another 18 percent would take other forms of actions such as disciplinary action against the staff including suspension after investigation of the case. It is worth noting that only 9 percent said they would take no action, thus showing that they would be willing to address the issues brought to them. However, sacking the staff without investigations would not be an appropriate way of dealing with the issue since there is a probability of the sacked crew securing employment with another SACCO and hence continue perpetrating the vice.

While most of the managers stated they would take some form of action to address VAWG issues reported to them, only 27 percent said that the case was investigated and action taken. The majority (37 percent) said the case was only recorded and no further action was taken. Eighteen percent stated that the case would be trivialized and 9 percent claimed they would be blamed for the case. While it is disconcerting to note that no actions would be taken after the recording of the cases, it is comforting that at least a record of the reported cases is kept and can be followed up.

According to the survey, reporting an incident to the police is the most common action taken against perpetrators (32 percent).  A significant proportion (24 percent) would prefer not to get involved while 12 percent state that other forms of actions would be taken, such as suspending the staff involved after investigations and educating the perpetrator on professionalism.

Although some SACCO managers do report to the police, there are no perpetrators who have been arrested nor prosecuted. This explains why the managers choose to administer the punishment by themselves.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Operators

  • Observe professionalism with customers. Specifically, avoid using abusive language and inappropriate physical contact.
  • Understand that customers may have diverse needs, preferences, personalities and backgrounds that must be respected. Ensure courtesy at all times, especially as you help female clients.
  • Male operators should ensure a harmonious working relationship with their female colleagues as well as a conducive working environment free of harassment and discrimination.

Commuters

  • Know your rights as a commuter.
  • Report to the SACCO officials, security personnel or the police any cases of harassment that you witness or experience while commuting.
  • Obey and strictly adhere to all traffic rules to avoid confrontation with the law and other road users.

The Police Department

  • Expeditiously pursue and address cases of VAWG that are reported to ensure that perpetrators are brought to book and pay for their crimes.
  • Provide reporting mechanisms where commuters can express their grievances or report cases of VAWG.  This can be achieved by providing toll free lines on the vehicles or spaces managed by your PSV SACCO.

PSV SACCOs

  • Provide reporting mechanisms where commuters can express their grievances or report cases of VAWG.  This can be achieved by providing toll free lines on the vehicles or spaces managed by your PSV SACCO.
  • Route managers must ensure that only authorized persons operate the vehicles and deal with unauthorized persons in the bus stations where most harassment occurs.
  • Expeditiously follow up cases of VAWG that are reported and ensure that they fully investigated and addressed.
  • Advocate for the identification and regulation of touts by NTSA to ensure that they observe professional conduct in their jobs.
  • Ensure a conducive working environment free of harassment and discrimination.
  • Give incentives to the most disciplined crew.

Matatu Owners Association

  • Employ qualified drivers and operators, preferably those certified with customer care training.
  • Monitor the activities of the self-employed staff and ensure they are fit to handle customers.

CONCLUSION

VAWG remains an issue of concern both in public and private sphere.  Street harassment is common but not limited to the public transport vehicles and the related spaces. Women who operate private vehicles also face harassment occasionally. Though the stakeholders are aware of its existence, the majority of them play the silent bystanders role.  They choose not to report nor witnesses because they think the blame shall be laid to them. For the survivors who report the harassment, the police and the SACCO officials conduct little or no investigation. It is comforting that there are some SACCOs that have adopted a friendly customer care system.

Flone Initiative, is a women led organization registered as a trust based in Kiambu, Kenya, working towards ending violence against women and girls in public spaces by influencing behavioral change and promoting tolerance and acceptance by strengthening capacities at grassroots level.

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Kenya: Death Penalty Ruling in Stripping Case

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By: Naomi Mwaura

In November 2014, hundreds of people joined the #MyDressMyChoice protest in Kenya after three men (including the bus driver and bus conductor) robbed, stripped and sexually assaulted a woman in September in an empty public bus at the Millennium petrol station in Githurai 44, Nairobi county. They video recorded the attack and the video subsequently went viral, sparking outrage.

Since 2013, Flone Initiative has been working to create safe commuter spaces and professionalism in the public transport industry in Kenya. To advance this mission, I was among the lead organizers of the 2014 protest. Our goal was to stop the increased number of cases of stripping of women and girls in public transport vehicles and terminals.

Now, nearly three years later, on July 19th 2017, the three men involved in the Sept. 2014 incident have been sentenced to death as well as to 25 years each in prison. This is one of the two landmark cases in court involving the sexual assault and robbery of women in the public transport industry. The other case being held in Makadara law court involves a woman hawker who was robbed, stripped and sexually assaulted in Kayole.

No executions have been carried out in Kenya since 1987, when Hezekiah Ochuka and Pancras Oteyo Okumu were hanged for treason. In 2009, Kenya commuted all death sentences to life imprisonment, impacting over 4,000 death row inmates. Despite the lack of executions, death sentences are still passed in Kenya.

I believe that life is precious. Hence, I feel uncomfortable with the possibility of loss of life. However, I can not ignore the heinous acts that the accused committed, the scars and trauma that the victim has to live with and the dangers that the accused pose to public transport users (especially women who make up the majority of public transport users).

Public silence and judicial inertia have ensured that rates of violence against women are often vastly under-reported and that offenders often go unpunished. This ruling changes the norm and, as such, plays an important symbolic role, by indicating that such behavior is socially unacceptable and will not go unpunished. This sentence serves a deterrence function to perpetrators and encourages victims to report. I commend the judicial system for being responsive to the victim by providing protection and handling the case with appropriate sensitivity. The ruling may be appealed but it is our hope that the judicial system will not falter. We look forward to a similar ruling in the Kayole case.

As the magistrate in this current case noted, “What you (the accused) thought was a joke should not be taken lightly, as a woman’s privacy and decency should be respected at all times.” This ruling is the strong message needed to criminalize violence against women and reaffirm the rights of women to live free of violence in public spaces, especially the transport industry, which has been plagued with various forms of violence against women.

I feel honoured to have supported the cause and, most importantly, to see justice in my lifetime.

As the rule of law takes it’s course, Flone Initiative will continue addressing the underlying norms and behaviours associated with violence against women in the transport system by training PSV operators on customer service, prevention of sexual violence and professional development, as well as working to increase the number of women employed in the industry.

Let’s make a toast: To Justice! It’s been over three years of waiting but it’s been worth the wait. Cheers!

Sending a life free of violence and love your way,

Naomi Mwaura
Founding Director, Flone Initiative

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Kenya: “Because I Speak Out, I Feel Safer”

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Guest Blog Post for International Anti-Street Harassment Week 2015

Setting up Hollaback! Nairobi dates back to late 2013. I was harassed by two drunk men on my way home. I was actually on my street surrounded by people that had known me since I was a child and it hurt that none of them did anything to help me. The two men were walking behind me and saying a lot of nasty things because I had a long slit in the back of my dress that showed my thighs. I tried to ignore them and kept walking. I don’t really remember the details of the altercation now but what I will never forget is that one after the other they put their hands up my dress and though I did manage to hit one of them before they ran off I was violated. I have never been able to forget what that few seconds felt like and I have never been able to wear that dress again. I told many of my friends about it and it was one of them told me about Hollaback and the work they do. It was very easy to make the decision to sign up and setup a site for Nairobi.

A lot of things happened in my life that made it difficult to setup immediately but every new experience I had or heard about from a friend strengthened my resolve to make sure it was actually set up. Hollaback! Nairobi’s official launch was in January 2015.

Three months later I am still a one woman team and it’s a little daunting since I also have a full time job. I am often second guessing myself about whether to speak out about an issue or stay quiet and there is also some procrastinating on whether to advertise, print out stickers and flyers but I believe in time it will all get easier and I will find a couple of team members willing to join the movement for all the right reasons. So far in the recruitment process, I have encountered two types of people. Type 1 wants to take over and turn the movement into something it’s not; a full time job with massive donors and trips abroad. Type 2 are interested in taking part but don’t really want to put in the time.

Unfortunately, getting people to speak out and share their stories has been very slow despite the growing number of rape cases, and other forms of gender based violence. In fact two of my school mates, one from primary school and another from law school were killed by their boyfriends in 2014. Additionally, in November and December 2014 videos were shared all over social media of men publicly stripping women on the streets for what they call dressing indecently that went viral and had many Kenyans take to the streets to protest against these actions. In 2015 public a member of parliament has been accused of raping a journalist in his publicly funded office.

The need for activism on any form of gender based violence in this country grows every single day and it will only be a matter of time before people are able to speak out more on the issue, before people are able to share their stories and maybe even put their names and faces on their experience.

Before that day comes, Hollaback! Nairobi’s main focus is education. People have yet to accept that street harassment is a violation, that it causes harm to the victims, eating into their self-confidence little by little. It certainly isn’t rape but that doesn’t make it any less important. Besides, if we were to teach people to respect us on the streets in broad daylight they will certainly respect us even in the dead of night.

Getting victims to speak out in a society where people say they have larger problems to deal with like terrorism and starvation will be an uphill task but I think it can be done. Building a society where people feel safe and respected is an all rounded affair. We cannot focus on one and ignore the other.

What I have loved most since joining Hollaback! is the support this community provides. It’s like having a personal team of cheerleaders every step of the way. As a person, I feel more confident about myself because I can speak out. And because I can speak out I feel safer. I had completely stopped taking any public means of transport but it’s now the exact opposite. I rarely drive myself anywhere on weekends. Life is so much better when you can walk and enjoy the sunshine.

My community hasn’t yet accepted our existence here but if it has had this effect on me, I am sure it will spread.

Wacu Mureithi Directs Hollaback! Nairobi

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Somali women harassed, raped en route to Kenya

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Via Capital FM News

As if having to flee your home and your country because of famine isn’t enough, many Somali women and girls experience street harassment and even rape en route to refugee camps (and then at the camps) in Kenya.

Via Capital FM News:

“The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Director for Africa Bunmi Makinwa has expressed concern that women and young girls are being subjected to rape and other forms of sexual harassment when fleeing from Somalia to camps in Kenya.

Mr. Makinwa who visited the Dadaab Camp to assess the condition on Friday urged aid partners to also focus on helping victims and survivors of sexual abuse since they require medical attention and psychosocial assistance.

‘UNFPA is working with partners to offer lifesaving psychosocial assistance to women who have survived sexual violence. Indeed, UNFPA was informed by partners that many women had been subjected to rape and sexual harassment during their long journey to the camp,’ he said….

Dadaab remains the world’s largest refugee settlement. Its Somali population has risen to over 400,000 people since famine was declared in the Horn of Africa. The crisis continues to affect 12.4 million people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

Malnutrition rates continue to rise, deaths increase day by day as people fleeing the famine in Somalia enter the Kenyan border at estimates of 1,300 every day.”

Additionally, Voice of America reports that women and girls also face sexual assault at the refugee camps and when they leave camps to gather firewood. In response, UN workers are providing women with firewood (something the UN often does at refugee camps for this very reason) and moving women who are located on the outskirts of the camps into more populated areas where they may be safer.

But aside from providing much-needed assistance to women and girl survivors who arrive at the camps, it doesn’t sound like the UN – or any other group – is trying to prevent the harassment and assaults women and girls face on the roads as they flee Somalia…Surely something can be done?

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