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{
    "id": 460140,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/460140/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 289,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Ghati",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 856,
        "legal_name": "Dennitah Ghati",
        "slug": "dennitah-ghati"
    },
    "content": "each sub-county we have very serious gender desks to look at issues of gender-based violence. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, five months ago, we all heard about a story of a girl called Liz in Busia. This girl was gang-raped by six men whom she indentified. She went to report the matter to the police and it was very unfortunate that, even after she reported to the police, she was merely told to wash off and go away. It is very unfortunate what girls in this country are facing. The punishment these perpetrators received at the courts was just a mere light punishment of slashing and cleaning police houses. It is extremely shameful and uncalled for, for that to happen in a country which has ratified and signed so many international treaties; like the Beijing Platform for Action; the Sexual Offences Act; we also have the Act on Anti-Female Genital Mutilation. These are serious instruments that should guide this country and we are still crying and talking about gender-based violence and issue of violence against women. It is extremely unconstitutional and uncalled for. I want to call upon this country to take the issue of gender-based violence seriously. Our police and Provincial Administration officers should be sensitized enough. We need to do more to sensitize our chiefs about handling gender-based violence in this country. That is why we are very serious and concerned activists - I have been an activists and I am still an activist on gender-based violence. I will not allow us to come here with a Motion to gag the civil society. The civil society has been doing work and supplementing Government work. We have services of setting up legal aids, rescue centres for female-genital mutilation cases and so on. The civil society has been doing many things in supplementing the Government functions. Therefore, censuring funding for civil society will not be allowed. I support the Motion and say that it is high time sexual violence and violence against women in this country was stopped. We are currently celebrating the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. It is high time that this House and men in this august House with wives and children supported efforts that are geared towards making sure that women and girl-children in this country are safe. We want to ensure that we are creating an environment where our young people can go to school safely without interruption. I fully support the Motion and I want to thank the hon. Member for bringing it before this House. I want to say that it is high time we took the issue of gender-based violence seriously in this country, being supported by civil society organizations that are working around emancipating women and girls in this country. With those few remarks, I support."
}