Nakuru teachers take fight against GBV to the classroom
Obed Otwabe, a teacher from Hehima primary school during an interview on December 6, 2023.
As Nakuru county continues to fight the triple threat; teenage pregnancies, new HIV infections among young people, and increased gender-based violence, teachers from Nakuru have joined hands to help fight this vice.
Through the King and Queen club introduced in schools by the Gender Violence Recovery Center in partnership with UN Women, twenty teachers from ten schools in Nakuru East and Nakuru Town West have come together to fight gender based violence in school going children.
In an interview with Mtaa Wangu, Esther Moraa, a teacher at Lenana Primary schools says she joined the school program last year in September and decided to be a champion teacher against GVB so that she could help the students in her school and community members.
“I have been passionate about matters GBV for a long time after I encountered several cases with my students. After receiving mentorship from GVRC we started a club in our school where we sensitize learners on matters GBV and encouraged them to report these cases,” she says.
Esther Moraa, a GBV champion teacher from Lenana Primary schools during an interview with Mtaa Wangu on December 6,2023.
Since September, she has received three cases, two of them being defilement cases on 12 and 14-year old pupils whereas the other case was on corporal punishment.
The club has brought about a lot of change as far as teacher-student relationship is concerned. Students are more open and expressive if something happens to them.
Another teacher from Hehima primary school, Obed Otwabe, says he also runs the King and Queen club in his school where he has 35 students in the club.
He notes, considering many students from his school come from the slum areas of Rhonda and Kaptembwo, GBV prevalence is high.
He thought it best to kick off the club with members who had before reported cases of abuse to him since his school has a high population of around 2450 pupils who he could not accommodate at once.
“I have already received a case through the club and we are currently following up on it. A class eight student complained that his father had been taking explicit photos of her when the mother was away and also being touched inappropriately at the same time,” he reveals
He notes that the biggest challenge in such cases is that once they sought an audience with the father, he did not show up whereas the mother denied knowing this. They are still waiting on the mother’s response who said she will look into the matter.
Programs Manager at GVRC, Joel Mureithi ,says as they are closing off the program, teachers revealed that their biggest challenge has been hostility being extended to them by the perpetrators or family members who hold reservations because of different cultural beliefs.
Programs Manager at GVRC, Joel Mureithi during an interview with Mtaa Wangu on December 6, 2023.
“Some teachers have come forward and shared they were made aware of some cases, though some families opted to solve the issue ‘Kinyumbani’ there by the child ended up not getting justice,” he says.
He urged the teachers, even as the program comes to an end, to continue on the fight of ending GBV on school children.
Related: Lost Innocence: A Nakuru woman's fight for justice after daughter was allegedly defiled by teacher
The two teachers unanimously revealed that at times family members are the biggest impediment in pursuing justice for children who have been abused, especially when the perpetrator is a family member. They consider this too unfortunate for the innocent child and hope this will be a thing of the past as they continue to get justice for children in school.