Kenya:Human Rights Abuses

Kenya is under a violation of many different human rights and people are very concerned. People have been blaming the majority of these problems on the Law Society of Kenya or LSK. There have been many reports of illegal killings, police torturing and gunning down suspects. This is a touchy subject because the members of the Kenyan parliament get one of the largest salaries but are not respecting human rights and human life. If you have people of parliament who are supposed to be supporting you and doing what's best for the country, as well as respecting your rights and you arent getting that it is just not fair. The fact that they typically get payed the highest salary and don't do anything to help is a huge problem. They should be doing all they can to look out for the people in the country, put their money to good use and atleast try to show that they respect human rights. For it to be well known that police have slaughtered so many people for protesting and trying to stick up for their rights is wrong. The police force are known to serve and protect society, meanwhile they are getting rid of the people who are trying to help society.

We can't just sit around and watch children get sicker, and sicker..

Another issue is the AIDS epidemic. Children who are infected with AIDS as well as any other person infected with AIDS in Kenya are violated of their human rights. They do not get the medical help that they deserve and are treated with disrespect compared to those who are not infected. People in Kenya do not get educated on the virus and because so many people are a victim of rape the chances are very high of developing the virus. The usual human rights violations that children with AIDS experience is abandonment,hazardous child labour, human trafficking, sexual abuse, and more. This is a very disturbing thing to read about because it is clearly not the child's choice to be infected with such a harmful infection. Yes, I am focusing this mostly on children, and the infection does affect more than just them, but all I have read about shows that the children are the majority affected by this. It is sad to think that so much sexual torture and rape is going on and noone is there to stop it. Depending on their age, children don't know the difference between what is right and wrong and since there is so much of it going on there really is nothing they can do about it themselves. There needs to be more action on this; not only to stop the sexual crimes but also create improved medical attention. Knowing that just because they are infected, they are disrespected, is something that is hard to believe from where we come from. I find it so disturbing to think of all the children that are going through this torture and this infection, being disrespected and not getting the help they need. I wish there was more that I could do to get them that medical attention and create a better society for them but unfortunately there's not, especially at the age I am at. But I believe that if everyone gets together and contributes even the littlest things will slowly make a difference.
                                               
Women have little to no human rights in Kenya. They cannot own or inherite any property. They often get abused physically, mentally and especially sexually. Women are treated with much less respect than men. This is a problem in many places that humans do not realize because in the Western society today women tend to have many more rights and can typically do anything that a man can.
                                                      

An everyday job for a woman in Kenya

In the society that we live in today, we don't really stop to think about places, like Kenya, where women are still disrespected and have to live without basic human rights. Ofcourse to them it is just a way of living, but that shouldn't be the case. This is probably going to be one of the hardest issues to break because they have been living this way for so long, and there is definitely nothing we can do, really, it is up to the government or the Law Society of Kenya.

But we shouldn't loose all hope, afterall, there are people out there who are taking action to try and make a change. The United States Institution of Peace is trying to shed a light on these issues and do what they can to help. It is said that Kenya once was a "haven of stability", but ever since the national electroral commision made Mwai Kibaki the winner of the presidential poll, there has been a massive blowout of ethnic violence, humanitarian crisis, economic disruption, and questions on the future of Kenya's political direction. The African Union is now trying to created mediation movements. It is not a surprise that people are questioning Kenya's political direction in the future.Obviously the people of the country weren't too impressed with Mwai Kibaki winning the presidential poll as the crime went up significantly since then; But this isn't the only problem. It isn't just because they may not like who got elected, but more what Mwai Kibaki is doing for the country. You would think with a new election people hope for the best, and someone who will help create a better country. If this was true, I'm sure the crime rate would have changed, or you would have atleast seen some kind of peace movements, medical advancements or something to show that he was trying.

                As I stated in the first paragraph, many human rights in Kenya are not being followed. Police have killed many human rights activists without great reasoning, which has stirred the pot creating anger in the country. To view proof on this, watch here .