Sexual Violence in Kenya Increasing Amidst Post-Election Chaos

Health workers in Kenya are reporting an increase in sexual violence amidst the chaos following the country’s presidential elections. According to Nairobi’s Women’s Hospital, the daily average of rape cases had doubled, reports IRIN.

"These sexual attacks may be crimes of opportunism, where people take advantage of the breakdown of normal protection mechanisms to rape, or in cases where the war pits one group against the another, such as ethnic violence, the rapes may be targeted at one particular group of women and girls," Jeanne Ward, an international consultant on gender-based violence told IRIN. Ward noted that though investigations had begun, it was still too early to tell if the rapes in Kenya were targeted.

Violence has devastated various parts of the country’s capital after the controversial results of the presidential elections were declared. Cases of sexual violence have also been reported against men, IRIN reports.

Media Resources: IRIN 01/02/08, 01/18/08

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