Unveiling the Mask of Privacy: Protecting Survivors of Violence Against Women in Kenya

Abstract

This chapter will examine violence against women from a predominantly legal perspective in consonance with the focus of the work of the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA Kenya). The chapter contextualizes FIDA Kenya’s work as occurring within a growing international women’s rights discourse that requires state to adjust their role and functions in order to meet their obligations. FIDA Kenya advocates for a multidimensional approach to dealing with violence against women. In particular, health professionals, teachers, social workers, and religious actors are important, as they are often the first people that victims and survivors of violence come into contact with. This chapter highlights the different levels within the state where systematic violence occurs and argues that it is important to look at new practices and renewed learning for both state and non-state actors in order to effectively deal with the problem of violence against women.