This fight against femicide should not be a lonely exercise. It is a journey that involves every one of us. I believe the ills that bedevil a society are a reflection of the status of the moral fabric. This means that every one of us is an important stakeholder in the fight against femicide.
It is unfortunate that already there is a notion that this is only a ‘women's issue’. I remember during the peaceful protest against the vice in Nairobi, some people did not like the idea of being so vocal about it. Some took to social media and stated that the campaign should not only be fighting for the girl child as men get killed too. This discussion took a whole new trajectory as the aggrieved parties felt that this discussion was deviating from the main issue at hand. I remember watching the peaceful protest live on TV and there was a very interesting incident whereby a group of young girls who were participating in the protest had an altercation with a group of men at Jevanjee Gardens in Nairobi. The men seemed very agitated with the idea of the campaign. They alleged that women have been taking advantage of them by misusing them by being materialistic to what they termed as ‘Kula fare’. In this regard, they boldly stated that they would continue to kill them mercilessly unless they stopped this bad behavior which irks them.
It is unfortunate that when an incident of femicide is reported that is when people become vocal about it. A few days later, we all retreat into silence until another incident is reported and the vicious cycle continues. Human rights activists and organizations, feminists, and friends have been at the forefront in this campaign but I believe that should not be the case. We all have a role to play as parents, teachers, pastors, police, and even as members of the community.
The campaign against femicide should not start and end after an incident occurs. It is a continuous process that should target our moral fabric as a society.
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