Defend the Human Rights of Adolescent Girls

Thank you for being an agent of change for women and girls everywhere!

With your support, we have been working  on behalf of courageous young women around the world.

In Kenya, sixteen-year-old Liz was gang raped while walking home from her grandfather’s funeral. Following the rape the perpetrators dumped Liz, unconscious and battered, down a pit latrine. Liz was ultimately rescued by nearby villagers and the attack was reported at the Tingolo Administration Police Camp the next day. Three of the suspects were apprehended, but the police officer on duty astonishingly recorded the attack as a mere “assault.” After completing their “punishment” of cutting the grass outside the police station, all the men were released from custody. As a result of the attack, Liz was confined to a wheelchair and developed obstetric fistula. Since the launch of the global #JusticeForLiz campaign and release of our action,  Kenyan officials have upgraded the charges against all the suspects and the trial began in June (to be resumed in September). Liz is now recovering after surgery and recently began walking again. She remains hopeful despite threats against her and her family for speaking out. After Equality Now’s advocacy, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has begun detailing almost 100 additional rape cases that have been identified by our local partners  as not being investigated and/or in which the identified suspects had not been arrested. The DPP subsequently has called for “speedy and thorough investigations” into the cases and appointed a team from the DPP’s Sexual and Gender Based Violence unit to provide guidance.

Thank you for believing in the importance of our work to defend the rights of adolescent girls like Liz, and for helping us to protect them from this and other harmful traditional practices.

Links:

• Link to Equality Now's Action campaign