Geneva, 28 November 2008
The Committee Against Torture (CAT) has concluded its 41st session and issued recommendations to the Government of Kenya aimed at addressing torture and reducing levels of violence. The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) welcomes the endorsement of a number of measures included in the two alternative reports it submitted to the Committee together with its national partners.
These two reports were prepared as complementary documents on specific issues. One was prepared together with the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) and the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ-Kenya) and is entitled “Addressing the Economic, Social and Cultural Root Causes of Torture in Kenya”. The report was produced following a preparatory mission that involved a series of meetings and fora with local communities. This was aimed at bringing to the Committee the voice of the many Kenyans who not only live in poverty, but also risk becoming victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment. This report also provides facts and figures on the link between the incidence of torture and denials of economic, social and cultural rights. It demonstrates that in Kenya the poor and the marginalised are the most vulnerable to torture and that the issue of land as well as other socio-economic factors are frequently the root causes of torture.
The other OMCT report, entitled “Violence Against Women and Children in Kenya”, was prepared together with the large Coalition of Child Rights NGOs (CRC) and the Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW). It addresses widespread forms of violence against women and children and their underlying causes, and analyses the shortcomings of the implementation of the Convention Against Torture in respect to gender- and child-specific issues. This report gives particular emphasis to protection from torture and other forms of ill-treatment including harmful cultural practices, domestic violence, trafficking in women and children, sexual abuse, child corporal punishment and child labour. It also raises serious concerns regarding women’s access to justice and juvenile justice, including the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
OMCT and its national partners wish to draw attention to the observations and recommendations made by the Committee, and in particular that:
OMCT and its national partners now encourage the Government of Kenya and Kenyan Civil Society to work together in order to follow-up the recommendations adopted and to take concrete measures aimed at addressing the concerns expressed by the Committee Against Torture.
For further information, please contact:
Francesca Restifo, fr@omct.org , tel.: +41 (0) 22 809 52 49
Cecile Trochu Grasso ct@omct.org, tel.: +41 (0) 22 809 52 43
Orlane Varesano ov@omct.org , tel.: +41 (0) 22 809 49 24
violence against women and children in kenya
47 pages / 345 KB
addressing the economic, social and cultural root causes of torture in kenya
44 pages / 341 KB
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