FIDA-Kenya and the Women Rights Movement
As Graca Machel once stated, gender equality is the channel that will assist nations in abolishing poverty and creating equal, fair, and happier societies among men, women, and children (Cudjo, 2020). Gender inequality is a global issue that has existed since time immemorial, whereby women worldwide have had to fight for their space in society. For this reason, governments, corporations, and various other institutions play a vital role in bringing about gender equality.
My upcoming case study will assess social change initiatives championing gender equality in Kenya. The focus will be directed to the Federacion Internacional de Abogadas (FIDA), the pioneer women rights movement that works together with a consortium of female lawyers and various CBO’s to champion for gender equality. The campaign aims to promote individual and collective power among women in all spheres of life to respect women’s economic, social, and cultural rights. The study will assess how FIDA, as an altruistic social movement, has engaged in participation and planning for social change through various communication channels and its involvement in power and culture in achieving its goals. Having been established in 1985, the initiative has so far provided free legal aid to over 3 million women and their children in Kenya (FIDA-Kenya, 2020). Some of its works include offering access to justice to vulnerable women, knowledge management, championing for women in governance, and institutional strengthening.
FIDA has succeeded in getting a wider pool of supporters and victims through various media and communication methods when it comes to reaching its audiences. The initiative operates active and engaging social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin, where information is disseminated to followers and the wider audience. FIDA also operates scheduled radio programs across the country where information about the movement is passed to listeners. Additionally, the initiative’s communications department runs interactive blogs and vlogs, including webinars, which offer effective platforms for discussing women’s rights issues. The initiative also disseminates periodic reports and briefs that provide adequate data to the government and other relevant bodies on matters such as gender-based violence. Finally, the general public can also seek assistance and legal advice through toll-free numbers provided on the organization’s website under the media center (Oloo, 2020).
As mentioned earlier, the initiative has successfully managed to offer legal assistance to over 3 million women and their children on domestic violence, employment rights, and custody cases, which would have otherwise never been addressed without the movement’s help. Several testimonials are available on the website and various online reports. Additionally, the initiative has championed various legislations and pushed the legislative to create laws that protect women’s rights, such as the Gender Bill that highlights the two-thirds gender rule. Article 81b of the Kenyan constitution states that “Not more than two thirds of the members of elective or appointive bodies shall be of the same gender.” Great strides have been made to achieve this target; however, more needs to be done, and FIDA continues to play an active role in the gender equality movement in Kenya (FIDA; Global Initiative, 2012).