Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris on Friday called for the establishment of a Gender Crimes Unit within the Police Service to deal exclusively with cases of sexual violence and abuse.
Addressing a forum on the challenges faced by rape survivors in Kenya, Passaris reiterated the need to create effective mechanisms to deal with cases of sexual violence as soon as they are reported.
"The police need a Gender Crimes Unit. Sexual violence needs to be treated with great sensitivity.
"As much as all police officers should be trained to deal with gender issues, we still strongly need Gender Response unit in order to deal with issues of sexual violence," she asserted.
At the event also attended by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) chief George Kinoti, the lawmaker further pushed for the prioritization of compensation for victims of rape in the aftermath of elections characterized by violence.
[caption caption="Nairobi Woman Rep Esther Passaris speaking at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi on 27/07/2018"]
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"If we are to prioritise one thing, let's prioritise reparations for the survivors from post-election violence. It can be done in the next supplemental budget. The government has money," Passaris noted.
Kinoti assured participants of the DCI's support in combating sexual violence, outlining measures being undertaken to ensure investigations into reported cases and prosecutions are thorough.
He disclosed that the DCI training curriculum had been updated to include important information on handling cases of sexual violence.
Kinoti further disclosed that he expected DNA tests to be concluded much faster once construction of a forensic laboratory was completed, revealing that they have spent at least $400,000 so far on forensic investigations including DNA tests in the Moi Girls rape case.
“Once our Forensic Laboratory is operational. We will be able to have DNA results in real time. We will not have an excuse.
"We shall play our role where we are supposed to play. We must come up with a practical solution to this problem,” Kinoti added.
[caption caption="DCI Chief George Kinoti speaking at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi on 27/07/2018"]
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