PBI-Kenya co-hosts “Every Voice Matters” conference on safety and security in Nairobi

On February 20, the Peace Brigades International-Kenya Project posted, “Today on World Day of Social Justice, PBI-Kenya together with Mathare Social Justice Centre (MSJC), Saferworld and Ghetto Foundation cohosts the conference “Every Voice Matters: collaborative approaches towards enhanced safety and security in Nairobi’s urban settlements.”

“Guest of honour is Dr. Agnes Callamard, Director of Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression initiative and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.”

PBI-Kenya adds, “PBI is committed to putting human rights defenders at the centre.”

In another social media post today, PBI-Kenya also shares, “The delegation from the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk and PBI-United Kingdom met with International Justice Mission and joined the Women Human Rights Defender (WHRD) Toolkit Organizers for a community town hall meeting on SGBV [Sexual and Gender Based Violence] in Mathare. This year the [fifteen dedicated and passionate] WHRD Toolkit Organizers will launch a campaign to address the low conviction rate of rape and defilement perpetrators.”

And it posted, “Every Voice Matters: a panel discussion with mothers of victims network, the Mathare Social Justice Centre, social justice working group, IPOA [the Independent Policing Oversight Authority], and Makadare Court, moderated by Faith Kasina (convener of the social justice centre working group).”

Missing Voices, a group of organizations whose mission is to end enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Kenya, recently stated last year police killed 107 Kenyans and that most of those killed were young men mostly in informal settlements.

PBI is a partner organization to Missing Voices, works with the Mathare Social Justice Centre, the Ghetto Foundation and Saferworld on the Ushirikiano Mwema kwa Usalama (Good relationships for safety) projects, has provided trainings for the recently-formed Network of Mothers of Victims and Survivors of extra judicial killings, and convenes the monthly WHRD Toolkit Organizers meetings.

In 2018, four PBI-Kenya international volunteers accompanied members of two grassroots organisations and twenty-nine human rights defenders working in the Nairobi’s urban settlements and the Mount Kenya region.

Below is a compilation of 11 posts on Twitter about today’s conference.