The training comes as a result of the increasing number of molestation and rape incidents in the area.
• The one-day intensive course teaches young girls various techniques to protect themselves.
• Kibera is the largest slum in Africa and is located in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city.
Kenya: Kibera Girls Undergo Self-Defence Training in Prevention of Sexual Violence.
Above 100 girls in Kibera have undergone self-defense training to protect themselves from sexual harassment and any sort of abuse.
The training was offered by Freely in Hope in partnership with Impact Beyond Borders and Ujamaa Africa, as the whole world commemorates the International Day of the Girl Child this month.
According to the strategic growth director of Freely in Hope, self-defense training can decrease rape incidents by up to 47 percent.
Tirzah Gawka said this training will empower girls and women to use their voices, and increase their confidence as they make use of these powerful tools to keep themselves safe from both sexual and physical abuse.
The founder and visionary developer at Impact Beyond Borders, Chiraphone Khamphouvong, said the self-defense training will equip young girls and women with tools to know and prevent violence from occurring to them as well as others.
He also added that it will help them in promoting peace actively.
It is designed to help women identify risks and evaluate their strengths, and also to explore options for dealing with sexual violence threats using verbal and physical strategies.
The perpetrators are people close to them, this is why the uncles, dads, and neighbors fear speaking out.
Ujamaa Africa’s Nairobi County Programme Coordinator, Nahima Abdullahi, said over 90 percent of the girls believe having sex with a woman is a man's right, this is the reason this kind of training is important to show them why reporting these cases is important.
According to a study by the University of Nairobi, 56 percent of Kibera girls 13–18 years old have experienced some form of sexual abuse.
The study also found that the number of sexual abuse victims that reported their abuse is only 12 percent.
A Unicef report indicated that worldwide, one in every ten girls is raped or sexually assaulted before the age of 19.
