Diana Russell, a pioneer researcher on violence against women, is credited as having popularized the use of the term ‘femicide’ to describe the killing of women because of their gender. She used the term publicly when she testified on the crimes against women during the first International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women held in Belgium in 1976. In a 2022 report, UN Women and UNODC estimated that in 2023, Africa had over 20,000 women killed by their partners. The Initiative for Strategic Litigation (ISLA) is trying to hold states accountable for failure to tackle this crime and is advocating for the inclusion of femicide as a crime within African legal systems.  

The recent release of the Aga Khan University’s study on femicide related media coverage in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda re-ignited a sense of personal urgency. Shockingly, the Gender-Based Violence Technical Working Group Report remains shelved in the Office of the Deputy President. How can we leverage these findings to reignite public and policy momentum to ensure meaningful action?

Online Predators is a powerful, visually engaging resource designed to raise awareness and empower children and caregivers to stay safe from the growing dangers of online luring, child abduction, and trafficking.

Nairobi, 19 May 2025: Amnesty International is shocked to read the response of the Kenyan Ambassador to Saudia Arabia Mohammed Ruwange to our 12 May 2025 report Saudi Arabia: Locked in, left out: The hidden lives of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.  

Ukiwa katika nchi kama Saudi Arabia, huna pesa, uko peke yako kwa hivyo huna msaada wowote… Nilikuwa nimefungiwa ndani, kutoka nje haikuruhusiwa. Sijawahi kutoka nje ya nyumba na sikuwahi kuwa na siku ya mapumziko.

Wanawake wa Kenya ambao huajiriwa kufanya kazi za nyumbani Saudi Arabia hulazimika kuvumilia mazingira ya kazi ambayo ni ya kikatili na kibaguzi. Mazingira haya yanaweza kufananishwa na kazi ya kulazimishwa na ulanguzi wa watu, Amnesty International imesema katika ripoti yake. Ripoti hiyo inaangazia namna waajiri wanavyowanyanyasa wanawake hawa majumbani mwao kutokana na mitazamo ya ubaguzi wa rangi, na namna wafanyakazi wa nyumbani wanavyotengwa na sheria ya kazi na mageuzi yanayohusiana na kazi nchini Saudi Arabia.

Nairobi, 13th May 2025: Kenyan women hired as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia endure gruelling, abusive and discriminatory working conditions, which often amount to forced labour and human trafficking, Amnesty International said in a new report. The report highlights how employers subjected the women to extreme exploitation in private homes, often fuelled by racism, and how domestic workers continue to be excluded from Saudi Arabia’s labour law and other limited reforms.

The world marks the United Nations International Day of Families next Thursday 15 May. How can we ensure we all stay focussed on what ails the Kenyan family and not be hijacked by narrow agendas financed by foreigners.

Urgent Recommendations on Amendments to Protect Marginalized Communities and Promote Equitable, Inclusive, and Sustainable Development

Courage and Resistance

I am Jamil Longton, a resident of Kitengela town in Kajiado County. All I want is for these abductions to stop. No one should ever have to go through what I endured — being taken by armed men in broad daylight cuffed, and whisked away like a criminal with no explanation, no warrant, nothing.

New statistics released this week demonstrate violence remains a major threat to the safety and dignity of nearly 29 million Kenyan women and girls. Despite the creation of a large taskforce and the recent President’s Sh 100 million directive, the campaign against femicide needs a change of direction to effectively address this pressing national challenge.