NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 5 \u2013 The United Kingdom and Kenya have reaffirmed their commitment to combating gender-based violence (GBV), including the fast-rising threat of technology-facilitated abuse, during an engagement hosted on Wednesday by the British High Commission in Nairobi.<\/p>\n
The event, presided over by the British High Commission Charg\u00e9 d\u2019AffairesEd Barnett, featured Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja as the chief guest and served as a flagship activity for the UK\u2019s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.<\/p>\n
The gathering showcased joint initiatives aimed at strengthening survivor-centred policing, fostering higher-education collaboration, and promoting technological innovations to curb online GBV.<\/p>\n
In his keynote address, IG Kanja underscored the urgency of combating digital forms of abuse, noting that online harassment, stalking, and non-consensual image sharing have become a global threat\u2014intensified by the borderless nature of the internet.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday in Kenya, as across the world, the digital space has become a double-edged sword,\u201d Kanja said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a platform for empowerment, education, and connection. Yet, tragically, it has also become a new frontier for a rapidly growing and deeply concerning form of abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
He emphasized the National Police Service\u2019s commitment to creating safe and survivor-friendly avenues for reporting crimes but stressed the need for cross-border collaboration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is why the partnership between Kenya and the United Kingdom, which we celebrate today, is so vital,\u201d he said. \u201cThrough this partnership, we are moving beyond mere condemnation to concrete, technology-driven action.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event highlighted key UK\u2013Kenya policing collaborations such as POLICARE, a survivor-focused response centre piloted with UK support, the Mombasa Situation Room, improving coordination for SGBV response and the enhanced capacity at gender desks in police stations nationwide.<\/p>\n
The British Council, Kenyatta University and the University of Warwick showcased innovative tools developed to combat online harassment.<\/p>\n
These solutions include research-driven approaches designed to improve understanding of digital abuse and enhance support systems for survivors.<\/p>\n
Dr. Barnett reiterated the UK\u2019s dedication to supporting Kenya\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UK is proud to stand with Kenya in this fight,\u201d he said. \u201cThrough initiatives like gender desks and POLICARE, we are supporting the National Police Service to deliver survivor-focused policing. This is a transformative approach that ensures dignity, safety, and access to justice for survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event also highlighted the TRANSFORM programme, which led to the creation of Gwiji for Women, an impact-driven enterprise supported by Unilever, the UK and EY.<\/p>\n
The platform connects women engaged in cleaning services with clients through a secure app\u2014enhancing income, safety and independence while reducing vulnerability to GBV.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 5 \u2013 The United Kingdom and Kenya have reaffirmed their commitment to combating gender-based violence (GBV), including the fast-rising threat of technology-facilitated abuse, during an engagement hosted on Wednesday by the British High Commission in Nairobi. The event, presided over by the British High Commission Charg\u00e9 d\u2019AffairesEd Barnett, featured Inspector General of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126069\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}