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{
    "id": 486098,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/486098/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 219,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Lay",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1022,
        "legal_name": "Joyce Wanjalah Lay",
        "slug": "joyce-wanjalah-lay"
    },
    "content": "Thank you hon. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Bill. First of all, I would like to congratulate the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs for bringing this timely Bill. It is also a big win for the victims of domestic violence. I applaud the fact that actions previously not regarded as offences are now included in the list; actions such as interference from in-laws and stalking, among others, will now constitute domestic violence. Hon. Speaker, as it is in Section 6, the idea of training police officers to handle such cases is very important. This is because sometimes back we used to have desks where victims used to report to the police. The way they were being handled made them feel they were being harassed. Therefore, it is very important to make sure that these police officers are trained to handle such matters, this being a very sensitive matter. Hon. Speaker, I am speaking from my own experience having grown up in such a family, where I saw my mother going through what she went through. I have been a victim and when we talk about emotional harassment or abuse, it is something I have gone through as a young girl of around seven years. You can imagine how children get affected when their family goes through that; when you see your mother being beaten or being dragged in the streets. Therefore, we need to train police officers to make sure that they handle it in a manner that the women or whoever goes there--- It is not just women who are affected, we are talking about women and men. Whoever goes to report needs to feel that there is somebody there to help him or her. Hon. Speaker, Section 7 states that an applicant who is not satisfied with the services of a police officer, to whom she or he has reported a case of domestic violence, shall have the right to register a complaint. This is good because sometimes you go there and find that the person you are going to report on has his or her way because of bribing a police officer. We have seen this happening. They bribe the police officer so that the case cannot be pursued. This gives the complainant another chance to go and register complaints, just in case that police officer does not take the measures that are supposed to be taken. On Section 8, the Cabinet Secretary (CS) shall, in consultation with the county executives, develop necessary policies to facilitate the establishment of appropriate mechanism to provide temporary emergency shelters. This is a very good idea because in most of the counties, we do not have a place where we can accommodate people who go through domestic violence, even children who go through sexual harassment. Most of the counties do not have an area to accommodate victims of domestic violence and even children who go through sexual violence. It is not just those who are able, but even those with disabilities. In my county, a nine year old girl who is epileptic, dump and deaf, was sexually abused. I could not find a place to accommodate her and I had to go all the way to Mombasa to make sure that she is safe. Most of the time she suffers from epilepsy and when she falls down, men take advantage of her. So, I had to make sure that she is safe. Right now, she is in school in Mombasa and I thank God that she is safe. That is just one case that was successful. We need to make sure that each The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}