“Online discrimination and violence is coming into the physical space. This is real, and it is frightening.” — R. Nakitare, International Association of Women in Radio and Television
20%
of women in Kenya experience (sexual) violence - UN report, 2013
March 2016 End date
February 2017
Issue
In Kenya, 20% of all women have experienced some form of violence, from harassment in the streets to rape and domestic violence and home.
In December 2014, President Kenyatta signed The Security Laws (Amendment) Act, which included amendments to several laws that address attacks on women in Kenya. But still, women are reluctant to come forward and report these crimes because perpetrators of sexual abuse go unpunished - as a result, the cycle of violence against women in Kenya is not being adequately addressed by law enforcement agencies.
Project
The S.K.I.R.T.S. team wants to address this problem by creating safe spaces for women to come together, to exchange experiences and to build evidence of the extent of harassment, sexism and violence they face.
To do this, they are using a crowd-mapping tool integrated with digital storytelling to show the public and law enforcement agencies the extent of the issue. At the same time, looking at the user-end of digital spaces, S.K.I.R.T.S. is also training women on cyber-security and working towards creating a cyber-security toolkit for women in Kenya.
Their aim is to make the issues easier for women, and for law enforcement to understand - and to provide compelling evidence and pressure for legal action, so that the Kenyan government both creates and enforces laws tackling online violence against women in Kenya
Partner
S.K.I.R.T.S is an acronym for Socially Keen Individuals Redefining Tech Spaces. Their mission is to build a community of enthusiasts who are passionate about using tech for social impact and bridging the gender divide in tech.