Thousands join protests against femicide in Kenya after rise in killings
ABC News
Protesters are calling for an end to violence against women and girls as cases of femicide rise in the East African nation
LONDON -- Thousands of people across Kenya took to the streets Saturday in nationwide protests calling for an end to femicide in the East African nation.
The protests -- which have taken place in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, as well as in the major cities of Mombasa, Kisumu, Nyeri and Nakuru -- have seen demonstrators calling for an end to violence against women and girls.
At least 10 cases of femicide have been reported in Kenya since Jan 1, according to Amnesty International Kenya, bringing the rising gender-based violence to the forefront of national headlines.
In 2022, there were 46 total femicide deaths recorded in Kenya, according to health data provider Africa Data Hub. In 2023, the number of femicides in the country rose to at least 75.
"That is, every second day, a women has been brutalised and killed because of her identity," said Amnesty International Kenya. "The majority of those murdered were below the age of 35 years and were killed by intimate partners or people known to them."
