Fatma Abed is a leading voice in Kenya in the fight against rape and sexual assault. She is the founder of the Kenya Anti-Rape Organization (KARO) whose aim is to wage war against this vice. She has received numerous commendations including the Ford Foundation Award, the Peace Foundation of Africa Award: Human Rights, and the Guinness Stout Effort Award of 1993, for her tireless and exemplary service to women and children.
Mingling with lawyers, I began to understand how to go about issues that I felt were not being handled properly.
Sex is discussed in hushed tones in the African setting, more so when it concerns rape, and worst of all when it is child sexual abuse. The subject carries a lot of stigma. That is why Fatma Abeyd is celebrated for her efforts in fighting the vice that has escalated to monumental proportions.
The resident of Kibera – one of Africa’s most populous slums – broke the barriers that stood in the way of justice for the voiceless, and especially girls whose innocence was shattered by violent acts against them. Abeyd dared to dream of a world where poverty, lack of shelter, high child mortality and, most of all, rape, were unknown.
Decades later, the social worker, who lives in Olympic Village in Kibera, is keenly aware that her dreams are far from realised. However, she is proud of her accomplishments and thanks Allah, and the women in the Koran, whom she regards as her role models.
Abeyd has vivid memories of her childhood and the unhappy events that motivated her to make a difference in the lives of women and girls. At the age of 10, she witnessed her mother deliver twins assisted by traditional birth attendants, but the babies never lived to see the light of day. She describes how she watched the delivery through a crack in the wall. “I heard the attendants say the babies were premature, and that there was nothing they could do to save them.”
The seed of a maternal and child health champion was planted in that moment. Years later, she says: “That moment broke my heart. If I had the knowledge I have today, my brothers would have survived.”
Abeyd was later to witness many incidents such as the demolitions in Kibera in the 1990s, which badly affected her paralysed grandmother. These incidents launched her on a journey that has earned her numerous accolades, although she is best known as an anti-rape crusader.
Words of Wisdom
• “Women have to learn to take care of themselves.”
• “It is important for women be modest in their dressing and guard against alcohol consumption to avoid being drugged and raped.”
• “Many victims are reluctant to speak out, probably because they know the perpetrators’ background, which may be criminal.”
• “The government ought to pay attention to rape just like it has done with female circumcision.”
In 1991, she launched the Kenya Anti-Rape Organization (KARO), which was registered in 1992 with the Department of Social Services and as a non-government organisation n 1994. A lot of scepticism was expressed following KARO’s registration because of the taboo issue it set out to address.
Coincidentally, the organisation was registered after one of the worst incidents of mass rape in Kenya – the July 13, 1991 rape orgy at St Kizito Mixed Secondary School in Meru. Nineteen girls died and 72 others were injured. “That incident was an eye opener for our society that rape was a real issue,” says Abeyd, whose organisation, together with other women’s groups, donors, doctors, lawyers and the media put pressure on the police and the Judiciary to punish the culprits.
A similar incident happened in 1993, when a Kenyan of Asian descent got off scot free after raping five schoolgirls.
“KARO held peaceful demonstrations in Nairobi. I was arrested, assaulted and charged in court. Professor Maria Nzomo helped to mobilise women’s organisations and lawyers to support the case,” she recalls.
Abeyd’s human rights crusade began long before she established KARO. As a Nubian living in Kibera, she couldn’t help but notice the many evils in her community, which went unreported. “There were days when Kibera became a dumpsite for industrial and hospital waste. You even came across foetuses, body parts and other gruesome or dangerous substances,” she recalls.
She reported the situation to the District Officer, who asked her to put her complaints in writing. “Then one day I heard it announced on radio that anyone found dumping garbage in Kibera would be arrested.” The notice fired her zeal to bring about change.
Her anti-rape crusade began when she worked for the Federation of Women Lawyers-Kenya (FIDA) as a secretary. “Mingling with lawyers, I began to understand how to go about issues that I felt were not being handled properly,” she recalls. She often opted to deliver letters physically to Nairobi lawyers’ offices instead of sending them by post. “That gave me a chance to build a relationship with the lawyers. So when I was first arrested, 21 lawyers turned up to defend me.” She singles out Martha Karua and Nancy Baraza for standing by her.
The human rights activist had earlier met Lilian Mwaura of the National Council of Women in Kenya, for whom she worked as a volunteer. She was part of the council’s campaign against gender-based violence.
Born in 1947, Abeyd attended Kibera Primary School from 1956 to 1963 before joining Nairobi Girls’ School (today Moi Girls’ School Nairobi) from 1964 to 1967. She worked in Mombasa as a presenter with the Kiswahili Service of the Voice of Kenya (precursor of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) for a year before taking a secretarial course from 1976 to 1979. She later worked for the InterContinental and Serena hotels in Nairobi and as a volunteer for Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement and the Kibera Campaign against Dumping.
She has travelled to many countries, championing the cause of girls and women in places like Austria, The Netherlands and China, among others. Although little is heard about KARO today, Abeyd says its mission has been taken up by many organisations that address issues close to her heart. She has her ear on the ground and once in a while, pops into their offices to see what is happening.
“My day normally begins at 5am,” she says. “I read the newspapers, have breakfast and take a walk around the neighbourhood to check on friends and relatives. That is part of the Nubian culture.” Sometimes she will pass by the chief’s office to find out if there is any issue concerning women and children. “Then after checking on my businesses, I retreat to my home.”
Abeyd speaks fondly of her 15 grandchildren. “They provide me with a full-time job,” says the activist who was once married to footballer Daniel Anyanzwa. She speaks proudly of their four sons and two daughters. She also has great grandchildren.
Reading the Koran, learning Arabic and mentoring the many emerging organisations that consult her on matters of gender-based violence are some of her favourite activities. Although modern communication technologies have made it quicker to follow up cases of gender-based violence, challenges persist.
“Women have to take care of themselves. They should be modest in their dressing and guard against alcohol consumption to avoid being drugged and raped,” she says.
She challenges the government to pay attention to rape just like it has done with female circumcision, which is now handled by a fully-fledged commission. She advocates for instant courts to help speed up rape cases – the major challenge is lack of witnesses. “Many victims are reluctant to speak out probably because they know the perpetrators’ background, which may be criminal,” she says.
Inter-religious efforts are needed to restore families and fight against evils such as rape, she adds. “I visit prisons to offer spiritual services and I’m also a secretary at Lomle Mosque Kibera, where I assist whenever I’m needed.”
In 1997, she tried her hand in politics and unsuccessfully vied for the Lang’ata Constituency parliamentary seat on a Kenya Social Congress (KSC) ticket. In the same year, she was elected KSC’s vice-president. In 2002, she represented Lang’ata and Dagoretti constituencies in the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission.
Abeyd has won several awards, including the Ford Foundation Award, the Peace Foundation of Africa Award: Human Rights, and the Guinness Stout Effort Award of 1993. In 1994, she won the Tangaza College of Theology of the Catholic University of East Africa Award for championing the rights of women and children.
In 2006, the Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW), the US Agency for International Development (USAid) and the International Rescue Committee named her a champion in Preventing and Responding to Violence.
On International Women’s Day in 2009, she received the Unsung Hero Award. Michael Ranneberger, the US ambassador to Kenya at the time, said in a citation that the award was in recognition of Abeyd’s extraordinary efforts to promote the empowerment of Kenyan women and girls. “We recognise you as a role model,” said Ranneberger.
In 1993, she spearheaded the observation of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence in Kenya. The 16 Days culminate in UN Human Rights Day, celebrated on December 10.
She credits KARO for contributing to the passage of the Sexual Offences Act of 2006 and for the creation of the various organisations that target gender-based violence.
Abeyd is still involved in several welfare programmes in the community. She oversees a daycare and child centre called Stawi Junior Child Centre that caters for children below the age of eight years who have been through sexual abuse and child labour. She also oversees the Kenya Grassroots Leaders Network in Kibera and mentors the New Visionary Youth Group, which deals with sensitising the community on the best practices in environment conservation.