GROOTS Kenya Blog
Reflecting on the on the achievements and what remains to be done in realization of the promise of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Did you know GROOTS Kenya was born out of the Beijing Conference in 1995?
“If all women living in rural areas with unmet needs for family planning were able to use modern methods of family planning, thousands of lives in rural areas could be saved.”
The vision of achieving a safe, accurate, high quality, free, acceptable and voluntary family planning services and information will further aid in empowering and encouraging our women and young girls to lead better, healthier, and happier lives.
“I was forced to give away major share of the farm produce to them leaving my kids and I with barely nothing to sustain us.”
"When my husband passed away in 2010, my in-laws took full control of my late husband land, I could not access the land without my in-law’s permission and during harvesting time, I was forced to give away major share of the farm produce to them leaving my kids and I with less or barely nothing to sustain us. "
“Men are viewed as natural born leaders while women are consigned to servitude; with their main duties being child-raising and household chores.”
An independent woman is a threat, so women grow-up known as the helpers and are not supposed to overtake men; they should stay behind and watch. To be an independent and strong woman is viewed as being too masculine and that is unacceptable to society.
Statement of feminist activists at the forum
Sexual violence against women and girls in the context of conflict is systemic and continues to be employed as a tactic of war. For women and girls who have experienced such sexual violence their only recourse is to have sexual and reproductive health services. By removing all references to these already limited sexual health services, the US have caused even more violence and harm to these same women and girls and put their lives in danger.
Women and girls who are forcibly displaced by conflict, natural disasters, economic reasons or other causes, face specific threats and diverse forms of gender-based discrimination, violence and human rights violations.
As a result of forced evictions, people are often left homeless and destitute without means of earning a livelihood and in practice, with no effective access to legal redress or other remedies.