Kenyan women protest femicide and violence

Hundreds of women, activists, and community members took to the streets on Monday, June 1, to protest the rising cases of femicide, gender-based violence, and the alarming increase in missing children across Kenya.

The demonstrations come following growing public outrage over the continued killings of women, increasing reports of child sexual abuse, and the disturbing number of missing children’s cases that remain unresolved over the last year.

The figures are disturbing, showing that in the last 15 months, 10,581 children have been reported missing in Kenya, while 1 out 5 women in Kenya are killed every day. Activists warn that the country is facing not only a femicide crisis but also an escalating crisis of missing children, sometimes referred to as “pedicide,” that demands immediate intervention.

Women’s movements are now demanding that the government declare femicide and violence against women a national crisis, arguing that the scale of the crisis requires an urgent and coordinated national response.

The protesters also expressed concern over reproductive rights following the recent controversy surrounding restrictions on abortion services, arguing that women’s bodily autonomy and healthcare rights remain under threat.

A crisis of protection and justice

In dialogue with BreakThrough News, Pesh Kariuki from the Kayole Social Justice Center challenged the country’s leaders to confront what she described as a growing crisis of violence and impunity.

“As Kenya grapples with the devastating realities of femicide, child sexual abuse, and the alarming rise in missing children’s cases, we are confronted with a painful question: whose lives matter enough to warrant urgency, protection, and justice?” Pesh said.

She noted that women continue to be killed at alarming rates while children disappear without a trace, leaving families trapped in cycles of grief and uncertainty.

“Women continue to be murdered at horrifying rates, children continue to disappear without trace, and cases of defilement and sexual violence continue to shatter families and communities. Yet the response from state institutions remains painfully inadequate. Investigations are often slow, families are left searching for answers on their own, and justice remains elusive for far too many victims.”

Pesh further criticized decisions that have seen individuals convicted of sexual offenses against children receive pardons or early release.

“The situation becomes even more troubling when individuals convicted of sexual offenses against children are granted pardons or early release, sending a dangerous message that the rights and safety of children are secondary to political and administrative considerations. Such actions undermine public confidence in the justice system and deepen the trauma experienced by survivors and their families.”

She argues that the inability of the state to address these crises represents a failure of one of its most fundamental responsibilities.

“A government that cannot protect women from femicide, cannot safeguard children from predators, and cannot account for missing children is failing in one of its most fundamental obligations: the protection of life and human dignity.”

Pesh called for immediate action, including prioritizing femicide and missing children’s cases as national emergencies, fully operationalizing the Victim Protection Act, strengthening child protection mechanisms, ensuring survivor-centered justice processes, and holding all perpetrators accountable regardless of their status or influence.

“Every missing child deserves to be found. Every survivor deserves justice. Every woman deserves to live free from violence. Silence, delay, and impunity can no longer be the government’s response to a crisis that is costing lives every day.”

A growing national crisis

The June 1 demonstrations are the latest in a growing wave of mobilizations against gender-based violence in Kenya. From the nationwide anti-femicide protests that swept the country in 2024, women and social justice movements have consistently demanded accountability, protection, and justice.

Their demand is urgent and clear; end violence against women, protect children, and ensure that every life is valued, protected, and treated with dignity.