Oyugis: Kwame Otiende Foundation has embarked on establishing a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) rescue center at Oyugis police station. The Foundation is working on the center to serve as a safe haven for children, especially girls who have been abused.
According to Kenya News Agency, the organization’s Director, Kwame Otiende, stated that they are establishing the center in partnership with the National Police Service and Homa Bay County Government. Otiende and his co-director Rupert Wilkinson joined Homa Bay County Chief Officer for Gender Jack Obonyo and the Officer Commanding Oyugis Police Station Thomas Odenyo in launching the construction of the center.
Otiende explained that the project was initiated due to the high rate of defilement and teen pregnancies in the area. The principal objective is to reduce teen pregnancies by ensuring children have safe places where they can stay while their cases are ongoing. Otiende emphasized that the center will facilitate the realization of justice for victims of defilement and teen pregnancies.
Obonyo noted that the center will cushion victims from psychological distress while at the police station. He highlighted that the lack of rescue centers sometimes causes rescued children to feel like criminals due to the unsuitable conditions in police stations. Odenyo stressed that the law requires children not to be accommodated in police cells, and the center will help protect their rights more effectively.