“Technology facilitated gender-based violence should never be tolerated at any level of our society”, Chief Justice Martha Koome said when she graced the National Conference on Technology Facilitated Gender Based Violence.
The CJ noted that while technology has been a transformative instrument in the new digital age, it has on another hand provided a platform for the perpetration of violence online, including enabling attacks against women and girls.
She noted that the use of technology and social networks have particularly led to the emergence of new forms of violence such as stalking, sexual harassment, bullying, defamation, hate speech, and exploitation which cause disproportionate harm and consequences on the victims.
While calling for a collective effort to ensure that online spaces are safe, secure and equitable for all, the Chief Justice emphasized the commitment of the judiciary to enhance access to justice for victims of gender-based violence including technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
“So far, we have established 13 Gender-Justice Courts in 11 of the 47 Counties. Through the Gender-Justice Courts, we are keen to promote access to justice for victims of all forms of gender-based violence in a manner that prioritizes their dignity, safety, privacy, and wellbeing”, she said.
The conference sought to rally stakeholders to identify and discuss innovative approaches and best practices for mitigating technology-facilitated gender-based violence, review and propose enhancements to existing policies and regulations such as the Data Protection Act, Election Offences Act, Elections Act, and the Political Parties Code of Conduct, and develop a roadmap with mitigation strategies to combat TFGBV.