Widows to be Empowered on Enforcement of their Legal Rights
Published on Tuesday, 19 November 2013 15:20
HIV has increased this disadvantage, not only exposing women to a higher risk of infection, but also in diminishing their ability to cope with the consequences of infection and to take care of themselves and their families. Though the Constitution of Kenya 2010 has guaranteed women’s rights, the enjoyment of these rights is yet to be realized for most due to patriarchal attitudes, discriminatory cultural practices, lack of awareness of their rights, limited information, inaccessibility of justice and also fear of being ostracized by their communities for attempting to enforce their rights.
In an effort to mitigate the vulnerability of women living with, or affected by HIV to human rights violations, KELIN today with the support from AIDS Fonds, is conducting a capacity building workshop for widows on HIV related legal rights and how to enforce them.
The forum which is taking place in Oyugis, is aimed at empowering 20 widows from Homabay and Kisumu counties with knowledge on their legal rights and equipping them with the necessary skill to enforce them. The widows will be trained on the link between human right, HIV and culture.
After sharing their different experiences, they will identify the key challenges faced in the enjoyment of legal rights in cultural settings. They will also be familiarized with the legal provisions protecting the rights of women and persons living with HIV in Kenya. In addition they will be empowered on basic legal skills in: drafting simple documents necessary for protection of their property rights, identifying human rights violations and the procedures of enforcing their right in various government institutions mandated to protect human rights in the country. In line with the recommendations of the Global Commission on Law and HIV, in their report entitled ‘Risks, Rights and Health’, KELIN is hopeful that at the end of this forum the trained widows will have better understanding of the formal and informal options for enforcement of legal rights and thus be better placed to access justice for themselves and their dependents.
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Source: KELIN Kenya