Somalis refugees report face increasing insecurity in Kenya

Some 330,000 refugees are sheltering in the three camps after fleeing two decades of conflict in Somalia

SPECIAL REPORT BY XINHUA CORRESPONDENT Stephen Ingati

DADAAB REFUGEES CAMP
The UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet has raised concerns over insecurity facing Somali women and girls in refugee camps in Kenya.

Bachelet said that women are discriminated against in the areas of access to wealth, decision-making and education.

Discrimination against women starts in early childhood, with a preference for boys at birth.

“Women are raped in their homes, in the bushes and many times on the roads. New arrivals don’t have shelters to sleep in and end up sleeping in the open outside the camps, exposing themselves to security risks,” Bachelet in a statement issued received on Tuesday.

Bachelet who visited Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya on Sunday while in the company of UN World Food Programme Executive Director Josette Sheeran and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres spoke with women refugee leaders, who complained of high illiteracy among women and girls, which makes it difficult for them to compete equally with their male counterparts for opportunities.

The three UN heads were assessing the nutritional conditions, security situation and state of women and children in the refugee camp.

They also visited Ifo and Dagahaley refugee camps.

Guterres said that, since January, approximately 10,000 refugees have crossed the border to Kenya leading to congestion at Dadaab camp.

Some 330,000 refugees are sheltering in the three camps after fleeing two decades of conflict in Somalia.

He said that his agency is discussing the issue of security with the government, adding that security was a big concern for the Kenyan government.

“Girl child education needs to be supported to give them intellectual empowerment,” said Bachelet. She said women and girls need and deserve much more.

Women refugee leaders told Bachelet that high divorce rates and family breakdown among the refugees is worrying.

They added that divorced women and neglected children are adversely affected by the loss of socio-economic support from their husbands and fathers, respectively.

“Widows and orphans face many problems socially, economically and emotionally as they carry out responsibilities as heads of families.

This often leads to sexual and economic exploitation and early marriages, while marital rape and sexual violence are also rampant,” one of the women leaders said.

She said many women are unemployed due to limited job opportunities, illiteracy and restricted movement outside the camp.

“We do not have money to start up self-employment initiatives. Elderly women have the least opportunities in the camps. This has disempowered women economically. We need income-generating activities to empower us.”

Source: Xinhua