- We have to increase the awareness of what consent is, says Wangamati, senior lecturer at the University of Oslo.
Sexual violence is a serious problem in Kenya. Kenyan musician, Wendy Kemunto, was gang raped in 2018. She tells BBC that one of the biggest issues in the fight against sexual violence in Africa is the lack of understanding of consent. This is the backdrop of the interview with Wangamati, who has done her PhD on the topic of sexual violence in Kenya.
- In Kenya, there is little understanding of consent. Most people reporting sexual violence are likely to be blamed for the sexual violence, says Wangamati.
Educating community and service providers
Wangamati highlights the importance of educating the community, health-services and the service providers in the legal system on what consent is and on the physical and mental consequences of sexual abuse.
- Kenya has good laws against sexual violence, but the problem is the implementation of these laws. There is a poor understanding of what consent is among service providers in the legal system, Wangamati says.
- We have to improve education on what consent is and on the consequences of sexual violence. Sexual violence has serious impact on the health of the person inflicted, both physically and mentally.
See BBC World News's interview with Cynthia Wangamati here:
