As part of the global campaign of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, which was held from November 25th to December 10th, the Regional Office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in Kenya in collaboration with the the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian Embassy have created an awareness campaign to promote the debate on gender based violence (GBV) and women’s emancipation in Kenya. Here are the highlights of the campaign and what we learned from working on it.
In Kenya, the levels of gender violence and domestic violence are unfortunately very high, especially in the areas most affected by social and economic exclusion, such as informal settlements. According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, in 2022 more than one in four women reported having suffered physical or psychological violence from their partner. Furthermore, in the country, there were 504 cases of feminicide between 2019 and 2024, cases that caused a stir and stimulated several public demonstrations.
The campaign was carried out along two main lines: involving and reaching as many people as possible, on all levels, and working together with government and civil society partners.
And so it started the Activate Nairobi campaign, made up of a series of 8 events, including round tables, film screenings, theatrical performances, a national conference and photographic exhibitions, organized thanks to the collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Nairobi and numerous local partners, including the State Department of Gender, Nairobi County Government, the University of Nairobi, Physicians for Human Rights and the Wangu Kanja Foundation.
The campaign started with the roundtable “Women Leadership in Climate Action: Transformative Strategies and Solutions”, at the University of Nairobi. Exploring the interconnection between climate change and gender issues, the panel attracted over 500 participants, including students, institutions and government officials. The event opened with a video message from the State Department’s Deputy Minister for Gender and Affirmative Action Anne Wang’ombe, who invited participants to reflect on how important it is to work together on all levels to say enough about gender violence.
The panel was all female: four women active in the fight against climate change discussed the topic of female participation in the battles for a more sustainable and inclusive world. Among the participants, the daughter of the President of Kenya, Charlene Ruto, who also plays an active role in involving young people and fighting climate change; Elizabeth Wathuti, Kenyan environmental and climate activist and founder of the Green Generation Initiative, which encourages young people to respect the environment and has helped plant 30,000 trees in Kenya; Francesca Di Matteo, researcher and deputy director of the French Institute for Research in Africa and Mary Lucia Mbithi, professor at the Department of Economic and Development Studies at the University of Nairobi. Among the participants, Ambassadors and dignitaries from 6 Embassies, representatives of the European Union Delegation, the United Nations and many Kenyan and Italian civil society organizations. This event was particularly important for us, above all because it gave us the opportunity to start a discussion with young people, who are an essential piece in the elimination of gender violence.
Another crucial event was the “National Convocation on Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Kenya”, which brought together survivors of sexual violence, civil society partners and government stakeholders to discuss gaps, opportunities and best practices on mental health services offered on gender-based violence. This event aimed to bring the voice of survivors of violence cases onto a national stage: also thanks to a photographic exhibition, in which women presented some shots they had taken, depicting the mental health services offered to survivors, their voice reached many representatives of the government and international organizations.
Activate Nairobi was designed to reach a diverse audience, including young people, underlining that promoting gender equality is key to building inclusive societies. To achieve this aim, a theater show was also organized for the girls and boys of the Comboni Primary School in the informal settlement of Korogocho. The awareness messages, focusing on domestic violence and the importance of reporting any abuse to the relevant authorities, were carefully chosen in consultation with the school management and the Korogocho child protection service, who were involved at all stages of preparation.
The Activate campaign proved to be an impactful effort, successfully achieving its goal of raising awareness about the fight against GBV and supporting equal rights. With the participation of over 1,200 people present at the events, the initiative reached a vast and heterogeneous audience for a concrete contribution to Kenya, in which gender violence could be just a distant memory.
