Women brave abuse, neglect in Tana River IDP camps

“It was at night. Since I do not have a husband, this person knew I was alone. He was almost getting inside the tent, so I had to scream to scare him away,” says Amina, a 35-year-old mother of nine.

As it flows gently, Tana River clearly unfolds like a gargantuan snake, surprising itself with its benign, yet surreal waves. In it, the hopes of many have been quashed, yet its position as a key life-sustaining gem in Kenya, assures Kenya’s biggest river a place in the hearts of many. The river has been the bearer of the good water that sustains locals, yet it sometimes visits them untold calamities.

At Marafa village, a group of women are crossing this mighty river, headed to Odhole, in Tana River County. Amina is one of them. The women are carrying vegetables this evening, headed home to prepare meals for their children.

Amina separated from her husband, becoming the sole provider for her children. And when the floods came raging, she was one of the affected, and now lives in one of the camps for displaced persons in the county, with her family. While she is grateful for the shelter, life in the camp has its own ugly joke on her, and her fellow women.

One night, in the stillness of the dark, she heard footsteps.

“The footsteps stopped at my tent. I became alert, then the person tried opening the tent. I took the slasher, and started hitting it on the floor and started screaming. He ran away,” She says

 “If we are not vigilant these bad people will harm our daughters,” she adds.

She says they usually report these cases, but perpetrators keep coming back.

Amina’s sentiments are echoed by Rashida, a 30-year-old mother of seven. Rashida is a widow.

“Apart from going after our girls, they look for tents that they are sure have no men…We are the target. People know it’s just me and my children in the tents, so some bad people would try to harm me. I have reported, but the solution is just to get permanent shelters,” she says

Abdhurahaman, who resides at Marafa IDP Camp, says women need to be protected. “We are already in a tough time; I can only imagine the extra burden of women worrying about their safety. We try our best to protect them and tell fellow men to behave,” he says

Hawa Abdulghafoor, from The Tana River Gender Department, says sexual abuse cases are increasing, and the department’s main agenda is to empower women. “We sensitise the masses on what abuse is, because most of them are not aware. We tell them where to report and how to get help. We also have toll free numbers that we have shared with them,” she says

Hawa says together with their partners, they supply dignity kits that have safety tools. “The kit, which is a bag, has a whistle, a torch,  sanitary towels, slippers, soap, and body jelly. So in case of an attack, the woman can use the whistle to scare the perpetrator away or alert the neighbours,” she says

Tana River County Secretary, Mwajuma Hiribae, says women have been speaking about unique challenges facing them. The department’s of Gender and Health, through partners have mobilised and organised forums for women and girls in the IDP camps to talk about their issues and also have an opportunity to be sensitised and trained on protective measures. 

“Community sensitisation meetings are held in all camps as part and parcel of the integrated services outreach whereby GBV  (Gender Based Violence) is unpacked. As the other integrated services are being offered, the women and girls and even children are empowered on their sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues and given a platform to speak out in case of any violence taking place,” she says

There are also cases of intimate partner violence in the IDP camps with some going unreported.

“So far, the GBV Recovery Centre at the Hola Referral Hospital, has recorded three cases; one defilement and two intimate partner violence which were reported. There is a toll free number that is written on the dignity kit bags for easy references,” she adds.

The IDP camp tents have almost no privacy. Displaced families sleep on mats then cover themselves with sheets. Parents also sleep on the floor with their children.

Fourty-five-year-old Bashir says it has been difficult to have intimate moments with his wife. “We all sleep on the floor, my wife, our children and I. I do not get conjugal rights because, how do I even start with the children there,” he says

Affirming this, an assistant Chief who chose anonymity says, husbands have left their wives claiming they do not get conjugal rights.

“Some women here are raising their children on their own because their husbands left. The men say are not getting marital satisfaction,” He says

Beyond conjugal rights, some men could have been overwhelmed by the situation, hence opting out.

Mwajuma says camps are not a haven or a place where one can have any little luxuries unlike in a home.

“These are make shift camps where a family has to make do with so little space because they have lost their homes. The men are equally struggling in the camps and maybe frustrations lead to separation. The county government and partners are trying to support the communities to relocate to higher grounds known as village clusters which might take time. As a temporary measure, support groups, sensitisation meetings to support their mental wellbeing are conducted,” she says  

CEC for Health in Tana River County Joshua Kofa says they have partnered with experts to offer psycho-social support. “We usually visit the camps as a team— those providing non-food items to food and medication. The counselling experts know how to deal with the situation, they know how to make the vulnerable people open up and share their grievances,” he says

Joe Mbalu, Acting Secretary General In charge of Programmes at The Kenya Red Cross, the nature of emergency shelter is the need to be easily portable.

“When disaster happens, we need to provide the people with the most basic amenities within a short time. The problem with mattresses is the volume, it will take a lot of space, we do not have that luxury during an emergency. For purposes of health you cannot have a mattress in camps, they become an agent of disease. But we can always improve,” he explains.